SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018
VOLUME CLII, ISSUE 55
WWW.BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
Diane Guerrero talks immigration, identity R.I. struggles to address
lead poisoning problem
Actor, social activist discusses childhood, struggles with immigration system
Advocates, government agencies propose opposing ideas to improve children’s well-being
By LIYAAN MASKATI SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Salomon Center erupted into overwhelming applause as Diane Guerrero stepped on stage. The acclaimed actress and activist addressed the audience in a talk sponsored by the Brown Lecture Board Tuesday evening, delivering a speech that elicited a palpable sense of excited emotion from the crowd. “It was so hard for me to boil down, into just a few words, why I was so incredibly lucky to have Diane with us tonight,” said Daniela Valarezo ’18, as she introduced Guerrero to the audience. “For starters … we love seeing her as Maritza in Orange is the New Black or as Selena in Jane the Virgin. Diane’s work reminds us of how beautiful it is to see ourselves represented on screen,” Valarezo said. But Guerrero’s contribution to society extends far beyond “adding desperately needed melanin in Hollywood,” she added. The U.S.-born child of immigrant parents who were deported to Colombia
By COLLEEN CRONIN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
COURTESY OF LARRY D. MOORE
Dianne Guerrero addressed a packed Salomon Center Tuesday night. She aims to merge her acting career with a message of social activism. when she was only 14 years old, Guer“It takes a brave soul not only to folrero has become a vocal activist. Her low (one’s) dreams of being an actress, memoir, “In the Country We Love,” re- but (to break) into a whitewashed intells the story of Guerrero’s childhood dustry and then, political and painful and her family’s struggles with being as it may be, … (to share one’s) story,” undocumented. » See GUERRERO, page 2
As a toddler, Childhood Lead Action Project employee Antoinette Dow’s sixyear-old son, who has been diagnosed with autism, began chewing on window sills, walls and other non-food material around the house. The mouthing behavior was a result of pica, a condition that caused him to chew on anything around him. Dow did not realize the chewing posed a health threat until her mother-in-law instructed her “to get him tested” for lead poisoning. A blood test revealed a blood level of 15 micrograms of lead per deciliter of blood — 10 counts higher than what the Center of Disease Control deems safe. With that assessment, Dow’s son was diagnosed with lead poisoning. “I felt awful,” Dow said. “You should be protecting your child, and you’re
doing everything you can, but something still happens. It’s kind of out of control of the parent unless they have the knowledge they need to look for the right things.” After the diagnosis, Dow hired a company to come into her Attleboro, Massachusetts home, which was built in the 1960s, to make it lead safe. After spending two-and-a-half weeks in a hotel, the family returned to their house believing their troubles were over. But there was a board in a closet that had not been removed, and Dow’s son began biting on it. “His blood levels shot up to 47, which immediately sent us to Boston Children’s Hospital, “ Dow said. “(That) was terrifying.” Dow’s son’s lead levels decreased with chelation therapy, which binds a solution to lead in the blood and removes toxins from the bloodstream. But Dow’s fight to keep her son away from lead is far from over. Two years after the initial inspection, Dow said they “found a few more issues” in her home, which pose financial and » See LEAD, page 2
Offshore wind farms concern fisherpeople UFB hopes to fill four open positions At-large positions remain open, current representatives emphasize necessity to fill board By MELANIE PINCUS SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Th e Undergraduate Finance Board will seek to fill four open at-large representative positions in the fall semester through special elections, said incoming vice chair of the board Julian De Georgia ’20. Four students ran for the eight available at-large representative positions in March, when elections for UFB and the Undergraduate Council of Students occurred, leaving the remaining positions unfilled . “Having a full board (is) really important just because there are a lot of student groups that we are responsible for, and every student group deserves the attention of a UFB (representative),” De Georgia said. Three positions on this year’s board were filled through an internal election at UCS’ third general body meeting in early October, while five were filled through the student body election the
INSIDE
previous spring. After one representative left the board at the end of the fall semester, the board continued through the spring with only seven representatives, De Georgia said. Representatives contribute to discussions on how to allocate funds to student groups, according to De Georgia. The student activities fee, which all students pay in addition to their tuition, comprises UFB’s budget. “The other part of the (representative) role is meeting with student groups and helping them understand our policies and helping them build effective budgets,” with each representative typically responsible for between 20 and 25 student groups, De Georgia added. Having a full board fosters “diversity of opinion,” said UFB representative Alesandro Walker ’20, who will also be on the board next year. “Having more people definitely helps to make sure that … we’re not all saying the same things and then possibly making decisions that don’t represent the opinions of the Brown student body,” he added. Further, filling the eight positions ensures that representatives can » See UFB, page 3
Plans to line the shore of Rhode Island with wind turbines threaten fisherpeople’s livelihoods By CELIA HACK SENIOR STAFF WRITER
When Greg Mataronas steams out of Narragansett Bay as early as 3 a.m., he is headed for grounds he knew as an eight-year-old. A native Rhode Islander, Mataronas grew up lobstering in Little Compton. After college, he returned to the ocean, unable to resist a profession rife with memories of his childhood. But as a commercial lobsterman, Mataronas’ days are far from youthful. Early morning wakeup calls, 16-hour days and occasional bouts of seasickness take their physical toll, and he has watched the lobster population around him decline over the last two decades. But more than the grueling lifestyle, there is a new force threatening Mataronas’ ability to provide for his wife and children: offshore wind energy. Permanent steel wind turbines lining the seafloor impose new barriers to the lobster industry, which is dependent on and accustomed to an open ocean. “We’ve had other things come
COURTESY OF LEE COURSEY
Permanent steel wind turbines lining the seafloor impose new barriers for the lobster industry, which is dependent on open ocean. through where it’s threatened to change the way we do things, but wind farms are different,” Mataronas said. Many fisherpeople see a future where segments of their industry will ultimately disappear unless the federal government ensures their
WEATHER
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25, 2018
NEWS David Savitz to serve as School of Public Health’s first-ever associate dean for research PAGE 3
concerns are taken into account in the construction and development of wind farms. Fisherpeople’s fears include the incompatibility of certain types of fishing gear with the clustered placement of wind turbines and a lack of site-specific research » See WIND, page 2
NEWS University commences search for new dean of the college, will first consider internal candidates
COMMENTARY Perla ’15 MD ’21: Medical school should expand undocumented student recruitment, support
COMMENTARY Foster ’19: U. can and should do more to help Providence Public School District financially
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