Friday, April 4, 2025

THE BROWN DAILY HER ALD

WHITE HOUSE SET TO FREEZE HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS IN UNIVERSITY FUNDING

BY ROMA SHAH WITH CATE LATIMER AND CLAIRE SONG SENIOR STAFF WRITER AND SECTION EDITORS

The Trump administration plans to halt $510 million of federal funding to Brown, a White House official told The Herald. This would make Brown the fifth Ivy League university to face federal funding freezes or cuts.

Brown did not provide more information about the federal funding freeze.

“We have no information to substantiate what’s being reported,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.

The reason for the planned cut was not made immediately clear by the White House official.

In March, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 outlined how the University

would respond to federal attacks on its academic freedom. Brown “would be compelled to vigorously exercise our legal rights to defend these freedoms,” Paxson wrote in a letter to the community.

At last month’s faculty meeting, Paxson also shared some of the University’s contingency plans if its funding is severely impacted. The plans include layoffs and potentially withdrawing from Brown’s investment in the William A. and Ami Kuan

Danoff Life Sciences Laboratories. The University’s planned seven-story laboratory is currently under construction in the Jewelry District.

Brown is also currently facing a $46 million structural budget deficit due to its efforts to transition from a liberal arts institution to a leading research institution.

The planned $510 million federal funding threat would be over 10 times the size of the deficit.

The University’s endowment stands at around $7.2 billion, as of June 2024. The endowment is the smallest among all Ivy League institutions.

Brown, along with 59 other universities, was notified by the U.S. Department of Education last month of potential “enforcement actions” if they failed to “protect Jewish students on campus.”

Corporation members praise U. protection of Jewish life amid federal funding threat

Chancellor Brian Moynihan ’81 P’14 P’19 is among statement’s signatories

BY CATE LATIMER AND CLAIRE SONG UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS

In a Thursday statement sent to The Herald, members of the Brown Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — and leadership of Brown-RISD Hillel said that Brown has upheld its commitment to religious freedom and Jewish life on campus.

The statement, which was signed by Brown’s Chancellor and Bank of America’s CEO Brian Moynihan ’81 P’14 P’19 and former Chancellor and

current trustee Samuel Mencoff ’78, among others, comes amid a planned $510 million freeze on federal funds to Brown. Rabbi Josh Bolton, the executive director of Brown-RISD Hillel, also signed onto the statement.

“Brown University is home to a vibrant Jewish community that continues to flourish with the steadfast support of the administration,” the statement reads.

“Amidst broader concerns about antisemitism on college campuses, Brown stands out as an inclusive environment where Jewish life is deeply integrated into campus culture,” they wrote, citing initiatives such as the establishment of the Kosher Kitchen at the Sharpe Refectory.

They praised President Christina

Paxson P’19 P’MD’20. Amid pro-Palestine campus protests, the group says Paxson maintained “unwavering support” for the Jewish community at Brown, adding that she attended a Chabad dinner after the October 7 attack of Hamas on Israel, “underscoring her commitment to supporting Jewish students during a painful and uncertain time.”

The signatories also reference the “strong, collaborative” relationship between Hillel and Brown Chabad, another Jewish organization supporting students on campus. They say the organizations’ collaboration is “rare among university campuses and cen tral to the fabric of student life here.”

“While no school, including Brown, is perfect, this campus offers a wel

coming environment where you can be a proud Jew,” the statement reads.

“With all the ongoing discussions about antisemitism on college campuses, one might easily suspect that these environments are disaster zones for Jewish life. At Brown University, this is not the case,” they wrote, referencing last year’s divestment proceedings. They said the student-led proposal demanded Brown divest its endowment from companies affiliated with Israel was “appropriately processed through campus channels” before being voted down.

In late 2023, 61 students were arrested following sit-in protests at Uni

a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, The Herald previously reported.

Early February 2024, over a dozen students participated in an eight-day hunger strike. Two months later, over 80 students began a week-long encampment on the Main Green, calling for divestment.

“While there is more work to be done, Brown, through the dedicated efforts of its administration, leadership and the resilient spirit of its Jewish community, continues to uphold the principles of inclusion, tolerance, and intellectual freedom that have been central to its identity since 1764,” the statement concludes.

ANISHA KUMAR / HERALD

LOBBYING

Brown hires external firms to lobby Congress, Trump administration

One of the firms, AxAdvocacy, has deep ties in the Republican Party

BY ROMA SHAH SENIOR STAFF WRITER

For the first time since at least 2002, Brown has enlisted two firms, one of which is staffed by operatives who have almost exclusively worked in the Republican Party, to lobby Congress and the Trump administration on its behalf, according to public filings reviewed by The Herald.

The move comes amid a shifting political landscape for higher education and a White House that has taken aim at highly selective universities nationwide.

The two firms include the more bipartisan Cornerstone Government Affairs and more GOP-affiliated AxAdvocacy Government Relations.

Cornerstone will lobby for federal support for Brown’s research and “thought leadership capacities” both on Capitol Hill and in the executive branch, according to the firm’s lobbying registration reports. They also listed defense, education, health issues and appropriations as general areas of lobbying they will focus on. AxAdvocacy will lobby on issues regarding education and taxation.

STUDENT CONDUCT

Neither firm responded to a request for comment.

These efforts come in light of the Trump administration’s threats of federal funding cuts and a potential increase of the tax imposed on private universities’ endowments. Columbia, Penn and Princeton have all recently faced cuts to or freezes on their federal funding.

The two lobbyists representing Brown through AxAdvocacy are Robert Babcock Jr. and Jeffrey Billman. Both Babcock and Billman have worked for numerous Republican members of Congress.

AxAdvocacy President Ashlee Rich Stephenson plays a “key role in advancing pro-business policies” in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and has worked on presiden-

tial campaigns for Republican candidates like the former New York Mayor Rudy Guliani and former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, according to the firm’s website.

The lobbyists advocating for Brown through Cornerstone are Christian Lee, Jennifer Neuscheler, Erik Fatemi, Carlos Miquel Jackson and Jonathan Miller. The five Cornerstone lobbyists have a mixture of backgrounds on both sides of the aisle. Cornerstone President Campbell Kaufman has “been involved in various campaigns for Republican candidates at the local, state and national levels, particularly in Louisiana,” according to the firm’s website.

Due to Brown’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit status, it engages in lobbying that is “limited

in scope to executive and legislative action that can affect the University’s mission and operations,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald. Through lobbying, the University attempts to influence executive actions and legislation from the government on a local, state and national level, Clark added.

The University also hosts its own Office of Government Relations, which keeps in close contact with members of Congress to learn about legislative actions and inform policymakers about Brown’s concerns. “We discuss how policy changes could affect members of our community, our operations and future investments,” Clark wrote.

The University’s 2025 in-house lobbying expenses, which also disclose the issues Brown is targeting, have not yet been made publicly available. Past years’ records indicate that a partial picture of these expenses are typically posted in April.

The University’s lobbying expenditures have been on an upward trend in recent years, having spent $280,000 in 2024, $220,000 in 2023 and $200,000 in 2022. Brown’s lobbying expenditures are substantially lower than some of its peer institutions, with Harvard and Yale spending $620,000 and $600,000, respectively, in 2024.

The University has repeatedly focused its lobbying efforts on issues related to

University investigating student who sent DOGE-style emails

deserve transparency and free speech,” he wrote.

BY ELENA JIANG UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

The University has launched a preliminary review of Alex Shieh ’27 for student conduct violations following his publication of Bloat@Brown. The online database, which aimed to evaluate the necessity of administrators’ jobs, “appeared to improperly use data accessed through a University technology platform,” wrote University Spokesperson Brian Clark in an email to The Herald.

Bloat@Brown is modeled after the Trump administration’s Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency and purports to highlight administrative waste within the University.

On March 18, Shieh sent emails to approximately 3,800 Brown staff members asking them to “describe what tasks you performed in the past week,” mirroring a similar February email DOGE sent to federal employees. Before Shieh decided to take the site down due to repeated hacks, the AI-powered database featured a search function that returned ratings of “every Brown administrator in three domains: legality, redundancy and bullshit jobs,” according to the website.

Shieh has also drawn the attention of prominent conservative figures, with Musk tweeting “Wow” in response to an article about his work. Conservative activist Bill Ackman described the effort as “impressive,” lauding its “remarkable” parallels to the Musk-led DOGE.

On Wednesday, Shieh took to X to directly address President Trump, Musk and Secretary of Education Linda McMahon. “Brown receives $254 million in federal funding. Time to step in. Students

The Trump administration is planning to pause $510 million of Brown’s federal funding, a White House official told The Herald. The exact reason for the freeze remains unclear.

Shieh was notified of the investigation through a March 20 letter from Associate Director of Student Conduct and Community Standards Kirsten Wolfe. Wolfe wrote that Shieh’s actions may have constituted violations to the “Emotional/Psychological Harm,” “Invasion of Privacy,” “Misrepresentation” and “Violation of Operational Rules” clauses under the Code of Student Conduct.

The letter also requested that Shieh “submit a list of all other people present for or involved in the behavior under review” and send in a written statement about the incident, which could be used to determine “whether or not there is a reasonable basis to file student conduct charges.”

Shieh does not plan to cooperate with the University’s requests, he said in an interview with The Herald conducted before the White House confirmed the impending funding freeze.

“I believe that (the University needs) to bring this evidence before me first, and that’s just due process,” he added.

Shieh cited Brown’s structural budget deficit and comparatively high tuition among the motivations for Bloat@Brown. “I’m trying to help the administration to find people that might be redundant,” Shieh said.

In his analysis, he also scrutinized diversity, equity and inclusion roles at the University in light of recent federal crackdowns on DEI.

“Brown still has all these DEI people,” Shieh said. “I think that’s concerning, because Brown could have its federal funding revoked, and that would only

international students and scholars, research funding, university endowments and college affordability and financial aid, according to past quarters’ filings.

According to Clark, “effective lobbying on issues important to Brown involves building relationships with key policymakers, sharing information, demonstrating why a certain policy is important to our community, giving examples and helping to convey the impact not just on our campus, but on people in communities beyond Brown.”

The University also undertakes legal advocacy efforts that typically focus “on issues that are important to students, faculty and staff,” according to Clark, including things such as funding for research or advocating against measures that would limit Brown’s ability to offer financial aid.

In response to the cuts to federal research funding, the University joined in a federal lawsuit in an attempt to halt plans to cut National Institutes of Health grants. Vice President for Research Greg Hirth ScM’87 PhD’91 also submitted a February declaration in support of a filing by the Rhode Island attorney general to maintain a continued flow of federal funding.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 2, 2025.

to administrators

make the deficit a lot higher, and tuition would go up a lot.”

The University “advised employees, many of whom expressed concerns, not to respond, and evaluated the situation from a policy standpoint,” Clark wrote.

Shieh said that he ended up receiving “about 20” responses from Brown staff, one of whom told him to “Fuck off.”

After receiving the letter from Wolfe, Shieh reached out to the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression. He got in contact with Dominic Coletti, a student press program officer who is now advocating on his behalf. Coletti echoed Shieh’s concerns about due process and

emphasized that the investigation may be “violating Brown’s free speech promises.” Clark reiterated that although “this situation has been reported as a free speech issue, it absolutely is not.” The University’s investigation focuses on how Shieh allegedly targeted individual employees with “derogatory descriptions” of their job functions, as well as Bloat@ Brown’s potential use of “information and data that could only be obtained from non-public sources and systems,” Clark wrote.

Shieh maintains that all the information he used was publicly available. “People's jobs and titles are not confi-

dential,” Shieh said.

Although FIRE has not been in direct communication with the University, it plans to publish an open letter to President Paxson in the coming days “outlining legally why what Brown is doing is suspect,” Coletti said, hoping the University would “announce that they are no longer pursuing an investigation into charges that stem purely from protected expression.”

In his emails, Shieh reached out claiming to be a reporter for the Brown Spectator, Brown’s currently inactive conservative journal. Shieh said that a masthead of current undergraduates is “bringing (the Spectator) back” and that Bloat@Brown is its first project.

Clark emphasized that Shieh’s alleged “misrepresentation” centers on potential misunderstandings arising from Shieh’s email since the Spectator “has had no active status at Brown for more than a decade, and no news article resulted.”

The University declined to provide additional details about the investigation due to federal law protecting student privacy.

The investigation comes as Bloat@ Brown has drawn significant student backlash and online uproar. Hours after the website launched, multiple hacking attempts overwrote the database with negative messages before one wiped it entirely, according to Shieh.

People started “signing me up for all these stupid email newsletters,” Shieh said. A parody website, DeBloat@ Brown, purports to help students “find out why my stomach feels like a balloon at Brown.”

To Shieh, the University’s inquiry “feels vaguely retaliatory, that when you investigate the administration, the administration investigates you back,” he said.

“We are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness,” Clark wrote.

TARINI MALHOTRA / HERALD

Alex Shieh ’27 under preliminary review for multiple conduct violations

COURTESY OF ALEX SHIEH

Alex Shieh does not plan to cooperate with the University’s requests, he said in an interview with The Herald conducted before the White House confirmed the impending funding freeze.

In a Thursday statement sent to The Herald, members of the Corporation and leaders of Brown-RISD Hillel wrote that the University is committed to religious freedom and supporting Jewish life on campus.

“Brown University is a place where Jewish life not only exists but thrives,” the statement wrote. “While there is more work to be done, Brown, through the dedicated efforts of its administration, leadership and the resilient spirit of its Jewish community, continues to uphold the principles of inclusion, tolerance and intellectual freedom that have been central to its identity since 1764.”

The statement was signed by Brown’s Chancellor and Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan ’81 P’14 P’19 and former chan-

cellor and current trustee Samuel Mencoff ’78, among others. The executive director of Brown-RISD Hillel, Rabbi Josh Bolton, also signed onto the statement.

The University has been a site of frequent pro-Palestine demonstrations over the past year and a half. In late 2023, 61 students were arrested across two separate sit-ins calling for Brown to divest its endowment from companies affiliated with Israel.

In 2024, the University saw a weeklong encampment, an eight-day hunger strike and other protests making similar demands.

Student protestors agreed to dismantle the encampment in exchange for the opportunity to present their divestment proposal to the Corporation. The Corpo-

ration rejected the proposal in October.

In January, President Trump signed an executive order aiming to end federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Following that, the Department of Education released a letter threatening to cut federal funding for schools that fail to eliminate “illegal” race-conscious programs.

Amid federal threats to DEI, Brown appointed Matthew Guterl as its new vice president for diversity and inclusion in February. The University’s Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity was also renamed the Office of Diversity and Inclusion in March.

The University has hired two lobbying firms — AxAdvocacy Government Relations and Cornerstone Government Affairs — to

UNIVERSITY NEWS

lobby Congress and the Trump administration on its behalf. The firms will lobby for Brown’s research and issues related to education and taxation.

This is the first time the University has enlisted external lobbying firms since at least 2002, according to public filings. Lobbyists from AxAdvocacy have significant affiliations with the Republican Party, while lobbyists from Cornerstone have a mixture of backgrounds on both sides of the aisle.

The $510 million freeze would exceed the $400 million funding cut at Columbia in early March. The cancellation of grants and contracts at Columbia came as a result of its alleged inaction in protecting Jewish students from continued harassment and

antisemitism following protests last year. Conceding to many of the Trump administration’s stipulations to restore funding, the university implemented several measures — including banning some masks on campus and putting one of its departments under non-faculty control. Days later, amid backlash from faculty and students, the university’s interim president abruptly resigned.

Harvard’s federal funding is also currently under review as part of an investigation by the Federal Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. Dozens of grants to Princeton have been suspended, and funding at Penn has been cut due to their policies surrounding transgender athletes.

Admin. clarify immigration enforcement policies, address research funding cuts

The letter follows recent deportations, funding cuts at peer schools

BY CATE LATIMER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

In response to concerns about recent federal actions, University administrators clarified how Brown is approaching federal immigration enforcement, recent federal funding cuts, threats to diversity and inclusion, gender-affirming care and retention of protest security footage.

In a community-wide letter sent early Monday morning, Provost Francis Doyle and Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 wrote that the guidance complies with the law while supporting “the safety and well-being of our community within the bounds of an evolving legal and policy landscape.”

One percent of existing research grants at Brown have been cut

In the announcement, Doyle and Carey wrote that Brown has “seen the termination

of about one percent of existing research grants.” The research targeted “seems to include considerations of gender, race or diversity, equity and inclusion,” they wrote. The grants came from agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, Office of Naval Research, the State Department and NASA.

In the coming months, grants supporting projects studying anthropogenic climate change and links between climate and health may be cut as well, the statement reads.

Columbia and Penn have recently faced federal funding cuts over concerns of antisemitism and policies regarding transgender athletes, respectively.

Brown’s Division of Research will also be holding a series of events to support faculty in receiving research funding.

“DOR encourages members of our research community to continue submitting research proposals,” they added. “Any decrease in proposal submissions could negatively influence future federal budgets.”

Campus law enforcement will not share information regarding immigration status, unless under subpoena

Doyle and Carey also addressed travel bans and immigration enforcement in Monday’s announcement, writing that all community members should contact the Department of Public Safety if federal immigration enforcement were to visit campus. The DPS would then notify University officials.

But they clarified that “federal enforcement officers, like state and local law enforcement officers, have jurisdiction on campus, including the Brown University campus.”

“Federal law officers can carry out their statutory duties where they have lawful jurisdiction and authority to do so. Neither Brown nor any other organization has discretion or authority to stop them from doing so,” they added.

They affirmed that the DPS does not “inquire about or act on information related to immigration status and does not partner with federal or state agencies to do so.”

“Brown will only share information with law enforcement regarding the immigration status of community members under a valid subpoena,” they wrote, adding that the University cannot make a

commitment to a specific response in any given situation, seeing as the “facts and circumstances of any individual situation can be infinitely variable.”

The letter follows the recent deportation of Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh, who held a valid H-1B visa. Alawieh was deported after she “openly admitted” to traveling to the funeral of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

Brown will alter student disciplinary records only in ‘very rare instances’

In recent weeks, some student protestors have called on the University to destroy security camera footage from protests out of fear it could be obtained by the federal government.

Doyle and Carey wrote that such footage is usually stored for no longer than 30 days “unless the footage is evidence in an administrative, employment or court action.”

“Brown typically will not disclose such records to outside agencies absent a valid subpoena or court order or statutory or regulatory authority,” they added.

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The University will also maintain the privacy of student conduct records in line with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, known as FERPA, which prevents universities from disclosing a student’s education record.

“Brown maintains the integrity of these records, and would alter or expunge them only in very rare instances when we are required to do so in alignment with FERPA,” they said.

Doyle and Carey also said the University will not change its current diversity and inclusion efforts or its support of members of the LGBTQ community, including through gender-affirming care.

“We want to reiterate that we appreciate and understand the concerns, anxiety and confusion that many Brown community members are experiencing,” they wrote. “Offices across the University continue to engage directly with various communities affected by evolving policies to provide support.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on March 31, 2025.

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Commentary:

METRO

RISD students rally against school’s request to remove pro-Palestine art exhibit

Demands included clarity on immigration enforcement on campus

BY SANAI RASHID METRO EDITOR

On Tuesday afternoon, approximately 70 Rhode Island School of Design students rallied outside 20 Washington Place — a RISD administrative building known as ProvWash — in response to the RISD administration’s request to relocate a pro-Palestine art exhibit on campus.

The art exhibit, titled “To Every Orange Tree,” opened on March 17 at the Carr Haus Cafe, a student-run cafe on RISD’s campus. The installation was a collaborative effort between the cafe and RISD Students for Justice in Palestine, featuring student and community pieces centered on political resistance, anti-imperialism and Palestinian liberation, an RSJP spokesperson, who was granted anonymity due to safety concerns, told The Herald.

But in an email sent to RSJP on March 25, Sarah Knarr, the director of RISD’s Center for Student Involvement, asked the group to remove the exhibit due to “threats of harm and safety concerns” surrounding the installation. Knarr requested that the artwork be taken down by Thursday afternoon.

In her email, Knarr stated that “at least one communication” directed to RISD President Crystal Williams demanded to know the names and contact information of all students with work in the exhibit. Knarr also wrote that one person “whom RISD could identify as being far away in another state in the U.S.” had harmful intent, posting details about the exhibit online. Several in-

Providence

dividuals also shared their plans to contact the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights to call for “investigations of antisemitism,” she added.

The exhibit was originally scheduled to remain on display until May 2, Carr Haus’s final day of operation for the semester, the RSJP spokesperson said. One of RSJP’s demands at the Tuesday rally was to reinstall the exhibit in Carr Haus.

In her email, Knarr asked for the exhibit not to be shown in a space accessible to the public. Knarr explained to RSJP that CSI had identified a space on the third floor of Prov-Wash where the exhibit could be relocated “so that anyone with a RISD ID who wants to see the exhibit must make conscious choices to do so,” the email reads.

But the RSJP spokesperson said that the group refuses to install the exhibition in Prov-Wash. “Our work is meant to be publicly accessible, and so it must specifically be in Carr Haus cafe,” they said. “Putting the show in a public office space means it no longer is that same show that it once was.”

“As an academic institution focused on art and design, RISD is committed to fostering an environment in which students can practice artistic expression of ideas and viewpoints,” RISD Spokesperson Jaime Marland wrote in a media statement sent to The Herald.

“Out of caution, we decided to relocate the student exhibition from a publicly open space to a more secure location,” Marland continued. “Relocating the exhibition enables us to prioritize safety, honor our commitments to artistic expression and freedom of speech and uphold our commitment to a culture of care, particularly in these fraught times.”

Besides demanding that RISD allow the group to reinstall the exhibit in Carr Haus, RSJP also called on Williams and the administration to “assure students, faculty and staff that they will not allow (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) on campus,” the spokesperson said.

RISD should also “not provide information, including disciplinary records and

legal status that would allow ICE to detain or deport any RISD community member,” they added.

In a speech at the rally, the RSJP spokesperson also referenced the increased number of deportations under the Trump administration. They cited the deportation of Brown Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh as well as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s recent detainment of Rumeysa Ozturk, a graduate student at Tufts University.

At the demonstration, RSJP also demanded a meeting between the group, Williams and other RISD administrators to discuss an appeal process to the January rejection of a student-led divestment proposal by the RISD Board of Trustees. The proposal targeted the school’s relationship with companies affiliated with Israel.

After the rally, several members of RSJP met with representatives of CSI and The Center for Social Equity and Inclusion at 1 p.m to discuss the standing of the exhibit.

According to the RSJP spokesperson, RISD’s concerns regarding safety are unfounded.

“RISD is trying to make artwork inaccessible,” they said. “This is a blatant excuse to censor a pro-Palestine exhibit on campus.”

Last May, RSJP staged a three-day building occupation in Prov-Wash calling on the school to divest from companies affiliated with Israel, The Herald previously reported.

“If RISD cared about safety” the RSJP spokesperson asked why “there were never any concerns” about safety during the May 2024 demonstration. “Last year during the occupation, people would yell things at us, talk online or threaten harm against us,” they added.

They also expressed concerns over the lack of communication regarding potential barriers to the exhibit, especially as the installation had received approval from the school.

According to the RSJP spokesperson, the group filed forms through CSI in January to get approval for the exhibit. After receiving approval from CSI in January, RSJP posted a call for artwork on their Instagram, they explained.

Knarr acknowledged that CSI initially granted approval for the exhibit, but “since the show opened however, RISD has become aware of even more disappointment, fear and perceived threat of harm due to the content of the artwork that was included in the show,” according to her March 25 email.

“RISD has known about the exhibit since its inception,” the RSJP spokesperson said, adding that before RISD asked them to take down the exhibit, “no one voiced any concerns about safety.”

In the future, if “a perceived threat to a student exhibit occurs,” RISD administrators must not “shut down a show which has already gone through the proper channels of approval” without prior communication, they said.

The artwork from the exhibit is currently independently secured in a “place off campus,” the RSJP spokesperson said. After removing the original exhibit, RSJP revamped the Carr Haus installation with simple posters that read “this artwork has been censored by RISD,” among other statements.

Marland did not directly comment on the revamped exhibit.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 2, 2025.

Place Mall restricts groups of over four people, unaccompanied minors

New policies limit videotaping and unauthorized “free speech activity”

BY MICHELLE BI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In March, the Providence Place Mall implemented new security measures, an updated code of conduct and a youth guidance program.

The new guidelines went into effect on March 1 and have been posted around the mall. It contains 13 new prohibitions, including limitations on congregations of four or more people, photographing or videotaping in “an intimidating or threatening manner,” firearms and “free speech activity not authorized in advance.”

The code also prohibits certain activities deemed “unsafe,” including “horseplay,” use of physical force and running.

In October, after private lenders alleged that the mall’s management company, Brookfield Properties, owed $259 million, a superior court judge ordered the mall into receivership — a state of oversight by a trustee when an enterprise can’t meet financial obligations. Attorney John Dorsey was chosen to be one of the court-appointed receivers.

“The old code of conduct for Providence Place had not been updated in many years, (and) the face of retail has really changed,” Dorsey said in an interview with The Herald. “The goal of the updated code of conduct is to try and reflect that.”

Dorsey explained that Providence Place has experienced “issues” in the past involving youth and “large groups congregating within the mall.”

Mall managers have worked with the Providence Police Department special response team to issue “no trespassing” orders to those who do not comply with the code of conduct, Dorsey said. Prior to the receivers’ appointments, the COVID-19 pandemic and “budgetary decisions from former management” led to an approximate 50% cut in security, according to Dorsey. Mall management

has now increased security guards and hours “to get back to a normalized level,” he added.

“Anybody who visits Providence Place now will see a much more active security presence,” he explained.

The new anti-congregation provision states that any group of four or more guests that “hinders the flow of shoppers, obstructs entryways or walkways, or creates a safety hazard will be dispersed.”

Nathan Hahn, a visitor to the mall with his wife and daughter, criticized the policy as “vague” and “not enforceable.”

“What’s the limitation going to be?” he said. “Am I going to have somebody walking with a tape measure following me around, making sure I’m not walking too close to my family?”

The provision also bans “free speech activity not authorized in advance” — a policy Hahn called “stupid.”

“Free speech is free speech,” he added.

“The mall property is private property,” Dorsey said. Banning non-authorized free speech activity in these spaces is a “common provision” nationwide, he added.

The mall now has an approval pro-

cess for free speech activities to “allow security and management to be aware of what types of activities are occurring at the mall,” he added.

Mall management hopes that the new rules will “strike a balance” between preventing potential issues through increased security “while also allowing shoppers to have a positive experience,” Dorsey said.

Along with the updated code of conduct, a new youth guidance program went into effect on March 24. The policy mandates that all minors visiting the mall’s common spaces — not individual stores, which can set their own policies — after 5 p.m. must be accompanied by an adult.

“Those who are unaccompanied or fail to produce proper identification will be asked to leave the property,” the guidance states.

Mall visitor Jen Roberts is “half and half” in support of the youth program, she said while visiting the mall with her family.

Roberts believes that the policy could benefit the mall by preventing youth from “just doing their own thing” without “parental guidance,” but she also commented that “it sounds kind of ridiculous.”

Dorsey added that “the program is not static.” He stated that mall management will be “monitoring” the effects and the public response to the new security measures and “trying to make improvements as (they) go.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 1, 2025.

KAIA YALAMANCHILI / HERALD

The demonstration follows RISD’s removal of a pro-Palestinian art exhibit, last Thursday.

JIYUE SUN / HERALD

RI Attorney General, 23 others sue to block $11.4 billion HHS grant cuts

Plaintiffs argue grants now have more uses than during pandemic

BY AVANI GHOSH METRO EDITOR

On Tuesday, Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and 23 other attorneys general filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in an attempt to block the termination of nearly $11.4 billion in public health grants, according to a press release from Neronha’s office.

HHS officials confirmed the grant cuts on March 25, saying that “the COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago.”

The cuts went into effect on March 24, according to Vianca Rodriguez, a spokesperson for the HHS.

“HHS is prioritizing funding projects that will deliver on President Trump’s man-

went into effect on March 24,

spokesperson.

date to address our chronic disease epidemic and Make America Healthy Again,” she wrote in an email to The Herald.

According to Neronha’s press release, the HHS “terminated these grants ‘for cause’ effective immediately claiming that the pandemic is over, and the grants are no longer necessary.”

The terminated grants funds previously funded COVID-19 testing, vaccination, programs to train and deploy community

health workers as well as a national initiative to reduce COVID-19 health disparities, according to Rodriguez.

Rodriguez did not address the lawsuit further, noting that the “HHS does not comment on ongoing litigation.”

In their suit, the attorneys general said the grants supported initiatives like tracking infectious diseases, “ensuring access to immunizations,” “fortifying emergency preparedness” and “modernizing critical

public health infrastructure,” among other projects.

The plaintiffs further argued in the suit that the terminations violate the Administrative Procedure Act, claiming there is “no legal or factual support” that the grants were intended to be used only during the pandemic.

“These grants originally came to the Rhode Island Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic,” wrote Joseph Wendelken, RIDOH’s public information officer, in an email to The Herald. But “as they were renewed over time, their scopes were expanded by (the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).”

The funds were allocated toward preparing for future pandemics and bolstering the state’s public health system. These preparations include infectious disease surveillance and prevention, biosafety programs and vaccination-related public health infrastructure, among other initiatives.

According to the suit, the HHS has already rescinded $13 million from Rhode Island’s Immunization and Vaccines for Children program. An additional $14 mil-

lion in the state’s Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity Program funds — which support state and local health departments in responding to infectious disease outbreaks — have also been cut.

RIDOH released a statement in support of the lawsuit shortly after it was filed. In the statement, RIDOH reported that it has received notice of the termination of four of its grants from the CDC — amounting to about $31 million.

“The HHS cuts threaten the urgent public health needs of states around the country at a time when emerging disease threats — such as measles and bird flu — are on the rise,” Neronha said in the press release.

Neronha’s office did not provide additional comments to The Herald.

The White House did not respond to The Herald’s request for comment.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 2, 2025.

What Brown experts, RI officials think about the EPA’s planned climate rollbacks

The EPA said this is “the biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history”

BY ZACH ROBEL AND MEGAN CHAN

SENIOR STAFF WRITER AND METRO EDITOR

Last month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced it would undertake a swath of 31 historic deregulatory actions, constituting “the biggest deregulatory action in U.S. history,” according to the EPA.

These rollbacks come amid a flurry of mass layoffs and funding cuts at the EPA that have left some environmental scientists worried about the future of climate policy. Potential policies under the agency’s reconsideration include regulations aimed at reducing air and water pollution.

“I just can’t quite understand what is happening or why it would be happening,” said Scott Frickel, a professor of sociology and environment and society, in an interview with The Herald. “I get the sense that a lot of people … may not understand the unprecedented nature of the attack that’s happening right now.

Frickel, who is also the director of research at the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, noted that the Trump administration seems “willing — and actually eager — to dismantle the research system.”

As a part of the rollbacks, the EPA has initiated a formal reconsideration of the 2009 Endangerment Finding, which legally classifies certain greenhouse gases as harmful to public health. According to an EPA press release, the agency believes this move will balance the agency’s mission to protect the environment with the nation’s economic interests.

The EPA will “follow the science, the law and common sense wherever it leads,” EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said in the press release.

In an interview with The Herald,

IBES Director Kim Cobb condemned reconsideration, describing it as “insane” and noting that it “puts Americans squarely in harm’s way.”

By revisiting the Endangerment Finding, the EPA is threatening “decades of well-established science,” she added.

“All of these regulations existed for a reason,” said Meredith Hastings, a professor of environment and society and physical sciences and chair of Earth, environmental and planetary sciences, in an interview with The Herald. While she said the EPA’s regulatory system may not be perfect, Hastings explained that federal oversight has been historically crucial in improving air and water quality at state and local levels.

Frickel expressed a similar sentiment, saying that while he is critical of the EPA, he believes the agency still plays an invaluable role in advancing environmental policy. A complete lack of federal oversight, Frickel said, would be a “worst-case scenario.”

According to Hastings, Rhode Island is uniquely vulnerable to environmental risks — such as rising sea levels and natural disasters like hurricanes — due

to its older infrastructure. Low-income communities located close to the state’s various ports have also been disproportionately impacted by high levels of pollution, she added.

But Hastings worries that these federal overhauls will hinder states’ motivations toward reaching set climate goals. Rhode Island, for example, has set goals to reach net-zero emissions by 2050 and achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030 — milestones that Hastings believes could be jeopardized by recent developments.

The state must “keep working to try to meet our statewide environmental goals,” Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) told The Herald. But he added that this process is “not going to be easy,” especially in light of the Trump administration’s attacks on offshore wind, controversies surrounding funding from the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and recently announced tariffs.

“I think the big picture here is that the EPA is walking back from, essentially, all of its environmental responsibilities,” Whitehouse said.

Whitehouse also criticized the EPA’s

communication regarding the status of funding, claiming that it has been “impossible to get a straight answer.”

This view comes amid the uncertain aftermath of the Trump administration’s federal funding freeze in January that has stoked backlash from researchers, universities and state officials.

“Funding for (climate research) has always been difficult to come by, but it will be more difficult now,” Frickel said.

According to the EPA, these deregulatory efforts aim to “unleash American energy,” revitalize jobs in the auto industry and lower costs of living.

But Hastings dispelled the belief that fossil fuels are more cost-effective than renewable energies, noting that while fossil fuels might come with cheaper price tags, the potential consequences of environmental deregulation — such as the higher health care costs that might result from increased greenhouse gas pollution — could prove more costly.

If the Trump administration wanted to pursue an “America-first, economy-forward agenda,” it should be “leaning into the science of climate change” instead, Cobb said.

“In his first term, President Trump advanced conservation and environmental stewardship while promoting economic growth for families across the country and will continue to do so this term,” an EPA spokesperson wrote in an email to The Herald.

“This is a very important change from the previous administration’s attempts to shut down American energy and make our citizens more reliant on foreign fossil fuels,” the EPA spokesperson added.

At Brown, IBES is in “proactive mode,” Cobb said. Moving forward, she hopes to build community by lifting “up the immense value of what we do every single day in new ways, to new ears, across new channels, and have it add up to more than the sum of its parts.”

The Trump administration took office just over 70 days ago, Frickel noted, adding that it is “too early to know for what’s going to happen.”

“It’s a tidal wave. It hasn’t quite happened yet, but the storm is beginning to crash on the shore,” he added.

KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD

The cuts

according to Vianca Rodriguez, a HHS

SARAH CHEN / HERALD

SPORTS

RUGBY

Women’s rugby defends the den during Brown 7s

Over break, the Bears won one tournament and finished fifth in another

BY LYDELL DYER SPORTS EDITOR

While students around campus departed for spring break trips, the women’s rugby team competed in two major tournaments, winning one and finishing fifth in the other.

On March 22, the Bears dominated at Brown 7s, going undefeated and shutting out three of their four opponents.

“We rarely have home tournaments during the 7s season, so in addition to the sunny weather and packed bleachers filled with family and friends, we were excited to play hard at home,” wrote Olivia Baptiste ’26, who led the team with six tries, in a message to The Herald. “Playing for our loved ones and defending the den is always a nice motivator.”

The weekend after, Brown competed once more at Harvard’s Crimson 7s. Though less successful than they were the weekend prior, the Bears still racked up two wins on the way to a fifth-place finish.

Both competitions showed the team “what we need to do to continue to bring our game to the next level,” wrote Head Coach Rosalind Chou in a message to The Herald. “We have a lot to build on.”

Two days before Brown 7s, the Goff Rugby Report published the list of nominees for the 2024-25 MA Sorensen Award, which recognizes the best collegiate women’s rugby player in the nation. Both Akilah Cathey ’25 and Nikki Lynch ’25 — each of whom earned first-team, all-National Intercollegiate Rugby Association honors earlier this year — received nominations.

Last year, Cathey was Brown’s first-ever

FENCING

The Bears notched four wins en-route to a first place finish during the

Sorensen Award finalist.

Punching in five and three tries, respectively, Lynch and Cathey were crucial in Bruno’s domination during Brown 7s.

Both players “really led the team in some difficult moments, especially in the final,” Chou said in a message to Brown Athletics. “It was a great day for the squad.”

During their first match-up of the tournament, the Bears trounced Roger Williams 59-0 as three different athletes — Cathey, Baptiste and Lily Nowak ’27 — posted two tries each.

But it was Genie Dickens ’28, the team’s fly-half, who emerged as the team’s most prolific scorer after putting up 12 points on six conversions. Throughout the competition, Dickensracked up a total of 38 points following 14 successful conversions and two tries.

With one victory under their belt, the Bears could not be stopped. During the competition’s second match-up, Brown defeated Northeastern 40-0. Julia Murray ’26 spearheaded the Bruno attack, scoring one try and three conversions, while Dickens and Nowak rounded out the offensive with one try each.

The third game of the day was no different, with the Bears waltzing to an easy 43-0 win against the University of New Haven. Dickens, Lynch and Baptiste combined for

33 points.

“I think during Brown 7s, our set piece plays were extremely effective,” Baptiste wrote. “We kept playing hard to the end, allowing us to be so successful.”

But the Bears faced their biggest threat during the final game of the day against American International College. For the first time in the tournament, an opponent struck first: Only one minute into the game, AIC broke through the Bruno defense to claim a 5-0 lead.

But the Bears refused to stay down for long. Cathey and Lynch put up back-to-back tries, and with two successful conversions by Murray, the Bears took a 14-5 lead into halftime.

After the break, AIC continued to put pressure on Brown. Scoring twice in two minutes, AIC reclaimed the lead, pulling away 17-14. But Bruno wasn’t done yet, and with only five minutes left in the contest, the Bears sprang into action.

Yona Allouche ’28 was the first to strike, propelling Brown back in front with a try. Baptiste backed her up, cementing the Bears’ lead with her sixth try of the day. In the end, Brown was able to pull away with a 28-19 victory.

“We walked away, of course, feeling proud to win at home,” Chou wrote, adding that the team and coaching staff hope

to continue learning and improving from their performance.

But unfortunately for the Bears, the lessons they learned during Brown 7s did not translate to Crimson 7s one week later. During the first match of the latter tournament, the Bears faced AIC again — this time in Cambridge. Instead of taking down the Yellow Jackets like they did a week before, though, Brown lost the game 26-24.

“In preparation for another AIC rematch, we examined areas in which they exploited the week before in film and in training,” Chou wrote. “7s is a game where the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win, and AIC is a skilled team that took advantage of our mistakes this weekend.”

The re-match against the Yellow Jackets came down to the wire. With less than a minute to go, Brown trailed 21-19. Recovering a scrum at AIC’s 22-meter-line, Dickens connected with Nowak along the left flank. Blowing past two AIC defenders, Nowak side-stepped a third before punching in a try, giving Brown a 24-21 lead.

But with the victory almost in hand, disaster struck. In the final seconds of the match, Brown kicked the ball off, and an AIC player returned the kick 60 meters for a try — clinching a 26-24 victory for the Yellow Jackets.

After their brutal loss to AIC, the Bears restored their momentum in a rainy matchup against Long Island University. Spreading the wealth, four different players — first Dickens, followed by Cathey, Laryssa Barbosa ’26 and Aziza Alford ’25 — reached the tryzone. Once the clock struck zero, Brown walked away with a 26-7 victory.

In their third game against Trinity Western, the Bears once again tasted defeat. It took Brown over 10 minutes to score, and by the time they did, they already trailed 19-0. A try by Barbosa put the Bears on the

scoreboard, but the one offensive effort was not enough, and Brown ultimately lost 26-5.

Following two losses and a win, Brown did not advance to the tournament finale and instead competed against Sacred Heart in a battle for fifth place. For most of the game, the Pioneers commanded the lead — and by halftime, they held a 14-5 advantage.

But when the second half began, the Bears took over. Three minutes into the half, Nowak received the ball deep in Bruno territory. Sprinting down the left flank, she delivered a massive fend, sending a Pioneer defender to the ground. With the path to the tryzone free, Nowak brought the Bears to 1410. With a successful conversion by Murray, Bruno was now only two points behind.

Though Sacred Heart struck next, the Bears did not stay down for long. With two minutes to go, Barbosa sidestepped a Pioneer defender and speared through the heart of the Sacred Heart defense. Rushing 60 meters down field, she plunged into the tryzone and tied the game for the first time since 0-0. A victory finally within reach, the Bears smelled blood.

As the clock wound down, Brown launched its final attack. Cathey led the charge, barreling down the right flank to the five-meter line. From there, the Bears flipped the field with four quick passes. On the left side of the field, Nowak was home free and clinched the victory with a successful try. The Bears ended the day — and the tournament — with a 24-19 win.

Next up for the women’s rugby team is the Polar Bear 7s, which will take place at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine on April 13.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 2, 2025.

Two Bruno fencers earn top 20 finishes at NCAA championships

Jessie Chen ’27 placed 15th in the foil, Soph Bililies ’27 18th in the saber

BY MILES MONROE STAFF WRITER

While many of their peers were vacationing over spring break, Jessie Chen ’27 and Soph Bililies ’27 competed in the NCAA Fencing Championships at Penn State. Challenged with the task to prove themselves on the largest collegiate stage for the first time in their careers, Chen finished 15th in the foil and Bililies 18th in the saber.

“Seeing the passion from every school and feeling the overwhelming support from my teammates certainly made the experience unforgettable,” Bililies wrote in a message to The Herald. “The level of competition, the school spirit and the camaraderie made this a true high point for me.”

The women’s competition — which took place from March 22 to 23 — marked the third straight year in which a duo of Brown fencers were selected to compete in the NCAA championships. Since 1995, Chen and Bililies are only the 20th and 21st Bears who have qualified for the tournament.

The fencers secured their spots in the tournament with strong showings at the NCAA Northeast Regional on March 9, where Bililies finished fourth in the saber and Chen finished eighth in the foil.

“Qualifying for the NCAA Championships was an incredible honor, and I was both humbled and excited for the opportunity,” Bililies wrote. “It was … a thrill to compete on that stage, surrounded by so many talented athletes.”

Battling nationally ranked fencers at the most prestigious tournament in collegiate fencing, Chen and Bililies represented Bruno with pride from the very beginning.

Chen had several decisive victories in the first three rounds on Saturday, including two 5-1 wins. Chen’s biggest challenge came against Cornell’s Renata Chusid, but after back-and-forth scoring, Chen came out on top 5-4.

On Saturday, Chen’s most impressive showing featured a 5-1 win over Stanford’s Arianna Cao, who went on to be crowned

the NCAA champion for women’s foil. Despite these efforts, Chen landed in 16th place with an overall record of 7-8 after the first day of competition.

“It was really exhilarating to be on that stage, and I felt especially proud to represent Brown as the only women’s foil fencer,” Chen reflected in an email to The Herald. “I was also happy to reunite with people — my competitors are also my longtime friends, having collectively competed at a high level for years.”

Bililies also had a strong showing on the first day of the tournament, posting a 6-9 record against some of the nation’s strongest. Among her three stellar 5-2 victories was one against Notre Dame’s Siobhan Sullivan, who went on to finish second overall.

But Bililies also lost to a few tough opponents on Saturday, including the eventual women’s saber champion Magda Skarbonkiewicz of Notre Dame — a 2024 Olympian — and Princeton’s Alexandra Lee, who tied for third overall. After the conclusion of the first three rounds, Bililies stood in 18th place.

“My focus was on refining my strategic approach — making my actions unpredictable and difficult to counter,” Bililies reflected. “Each bout required calculated decision-making, and I wanted to be as tactically disciplined as possible.”

After a grueling day of fencing for both Brunonians, there was little time to rest before Sunday’s matchups commenced bright and early at 9 a.m.

On the second and final day of her

first-ever national championship, Chen once again put on a strong showing. She finished with three additional victories under her belt — and three of her Sunday losses were narrow defeats by just one score.

Once the final scores were tallied, Chen finished 15th in the nation in the women’s foil with 10 total wins in the tournament.

“It was a personal breakthrough for me, especially since I beat many fencers I’d never won (against) before,” Chen wrote. Bililies rounded out her first appearance at nationals with two wins on Sunday. Just like Chen, Bililies battled to the end and lost three close matches by just one score. She finished with eight victories, making her 18th in the nation.

“I’m rarely fully satisfied with my performance because I always see areas for improvement, and this tournament was no exception,” Bililies wrote. “That said, I’m proud of my results and the way I handled the competition.”

These top 20 finishes mark Bruno’s best since Casey Chan ’23 finished 15th in the saber at the 2023 championship tournament.

“This experience has fueled our determination more than ever,” Bililies said. “More of us are motivated to qualify for the NCAA Championships next season, and we’re ready to put in the work to make that a reality.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com

COURTESY OF CRAIG HOUTZ

Jessie Chen ’27 (right) and Soph Bililies ’27 (left) are only the 20th and 21st Brown fencers who have qualified for the tournament since 1995.

COURTESY OF ASHTON DANIEL ROBERTSON VIA BROWN ATHLETICS

Brown 7s tournament.

HEALTH

Avoidable mortality rises in US, decreases in other high-income countries, study finds

Researchers attributed disparity to weak public health infrastructure

BY LEAH KORITZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Between 2009 and 2021, avoidable mortality has increased in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. but decreased in peer countries, Brown and Harvard researchers found.

The study, published last month in Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine, compared rates of avoidable mortality in the United States with 40 other high-income countries.

Avoidable mortality includes deaths that can be avoided through “high-quality preventive care, public health (policy) or timely, high-quality access to medical treatment, according to lead study author Irene Papanicolas. Avoidable deaths can be sorted into two categories: preventable mortality, like death by car accident or vaccine-preventable disease, and treatable mortality, like appendicitis or sepsis.

According to the study, the aver-

HEALTH

Caffeine

age increase in avoidable deaths in the U.S. was 32.5 deaths per 100,000 people, though this varied by region.

Papanicolas said the findings will help experts begin to understand “which policies confer benefits to health and which ones pose risks to health in certain states.” She expects the study will help experts promote these policies nationwide. Papanicolas is the director of the Center for Health Systems Sustainability in the School of Public Health and a professor of health services, policy and practice.

Researchers analyzed data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization, comparing mortality rates by dividing populations into five-year age groups and assessing trends across countries. SPH Research Data Analyst Maecey Niksch, the second author on the study, sorted through 80 million cause-of-death data points using RStudio to determine how many died from avoidable causes.

Among the 40 other countries studied, only Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Turkey, Bulgaria and Australia did not see a decrease in avoidable mor-

SOPHIA LENG / HERALD

According to the study, the average increase in avoidable deaths in the U.S. was 32.5 deaths per 100,000 people, though this varied by region.

tality rates over the 12 years.

In the U.S., avoidable deaths increased due to car accidents, suicides, homicides and overdoses. Deaths from treatable cancers and other medical conditions also rose, though to a lesser extent. Across both the U.S. and comparable countries, avoidable deaths rose during the COVID-19 pandemic from 2019 to 2021.

The U.S. spends more on health care than any other country, yet continues to have growing and comparatively higher

rates of avoidable mortality.

“More health care spending doesn’t necessarily confer more value in the health care system,” Niksch said.

This disparity, Papanicolas said, is likely due to “weak public health infrastructure,” as well as the influence of socioeconomic determinants and the high costs of health care.

Despite the quality of health care centers in the nation, Papanicolas said a “broader welfare state” can help “protect people” from factors that can con -

tribute to avoidable mortality.

The researchers found wide variation in avoidable mortality across states in the U.S. For instance, while West Virginia had the highest increase at 99.6 per 100,000 people, New York had the lowest at 4.9 per 100,000 people. All states saw increases in preventable mortality, but only Massachusetts, Maryland and Delaware saw decreases in treatable mortality, according to Papanicolas.

To reverse the trend of increasing avoidable mortality, Papanicolas emphasized the importance of investing in health infrastructure and implementing protective measures, such as improving traffic safety and nutrition.

Jennifer Sacheck, a professor and chair of social and behavioral sciences who was not involved with the study, wrote to The Herald that she was not surprised by the findings. She noted that it was “not possible to control for key variables that might explain some of the findings.”

For example, she “would be curious what the results would look like if obesity rates were able to be controlled for given its impact on many chronic disease conditions,” Sacheck said.

culture permeates college campuses, but how safe is it?

Caffeine consumption is safe in moderation, scientists say

BY JONATHAN KIM SENIOR STAFF WRITER

This is the second in a series of articles about the science of various aspects of college life.

In the United States, 92% of college students consume caffeine in some form. For many students across the nation, caffeine is a lifeline for powering through their day, from morning lectures to late-night study sessions.

But as students reach for yet another cup of coffee or a Celsius energy drink, public health experts have questioned whether the normalization of caffeine culture on college campuses is healthy.

Caffeine is adept at using our brain’s cellular structure to prevent feeling fatigued.

Normally, adenosine — a neurotransmitter that, upon binding to a receptor, slows down nerve conduction and the release of other stimulating compounds in the body — builds up throughout the day as a result of cellular and tissue metabolic activity, according to Scott Rivkees, a professor of the practice of health services, policy and practice and Florida’s former secretary of health and surgeon general.

The binding of adenosine to receptors can promote feelings of sleepiness by slowing down the release of neurotransmitters that play crucial roles in boosting wakefulness, like dopamine and norepinephrine, as well as regulating the body’s circadian rhythm.

But when caffeine is present, it blocks adenosine by binding to receptors instead. In turn, this stimulates the release of neurotransmitters, thus increasing alertness, Rivkees said.

Not everyone responds to caffeine in the same way. Individual differences in caffeine metabolization rates and varia -

tions in adenosine receptors can lead to a wide variety of symptoms, including negative ones. As a stimulant, caffeine can lead to a number of symptoms like anxiety, feelings of nervousness and heart palpitations, Rivkees added.

The Food and Drug Administration has cited 400 milligrams of caffeine a day as a safe amount — equivalent to about four metric cups of coffee — although some individuals can experience negative symptoms well before meeting this threshold.

“I have noticed that the days I do drink more than two cups of coffee I get jittery and shaky if I don’t eat a big meal,” Melany Veliz ’25 said.

For Molly Ibrahim ’27, consuming energy drinks — which often contain more caffeine than a cup of coffee — has induced more negative symptoms than drinking coffee, so she tries to stick to the latter.

But Ibrahim noted that drinking coffee or energy drinks is an ingrained aspect of college culture for many students.

“I feel like all nighters and just spending a very long amount of time on assignments is very normalized, and people just use caffeine to be able to keep up with that,” she added.

“A lot of study culture is based around going to cafes and getting coffee

with people,” Alice Xu ’27 said.

But when individuals drink too much caffeine, their bodies develop additional adenosine receptors, resulting in caffeine dependence, according to Rivkees.

Individuals who consume excess caffeine often have “double or triple the number of (adenosine) receptors,” initiating a positive feedback loop where individuals must consume more caffeine to feel the

same effects, Rivkees said.

To reduce the likelihood of caffeine dependence, Rivkees suggested decreasing caffeine intake. Doing this can also help lower the prevalence and severity of withdrawal symptoms — which Rivkees said can take up to a week to recover from.

While BWell, Brown’s health and wellness program, does not specifically have resources to support students affected by caffeine dependence, they offer Sleep Hygiene workshops to help students understand the importance of rest and create “sustainable routines that support both academic success and daily balance,” Takyah Smith, BWell’s social wellness coordinator, wrote in an email to The Herald.

“Managing (caffeine) intake by gradually reducing consumption, opting for lower-caffeine alternatives like decaf or herbal teas, staying hydrated, eating balanced meals for sustained energy and prioritizing good sleep habits can help boost energy levels without dependence

Going Beyond: Lessons in Leadership and Innovation

on stimulants,” she wrote.

Despite the risks of consuming significant amounts of caffeine, studies have found that moderate consumption of caffeine — up to three cups of coffee a day, depending on the individual — can reduce the risk of Parkinson’s disease.

Over the years, many researchers and public health experts, including Rivkees, have expressed approval of a responsible level of caffeine consumption.

“Caffeine has been around and been taken by humans for thousands of years. It’s part of culture,” Rivkees said. “Things done in moderation are fine. Things done in excess can be problematic.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on March 31, 2025.

THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2025 | 5 P.M.

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Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi Brown Class of 1991 in conversation with President Christina H. Paxson

This Spring Break, I found myself out west in my half-brother’s beautiful, perpetually renovated home in Salt Lake City, Utah. As a die-hard, nearly lifelong, East Coaster, I’ve always been uninterested in living anywhere that doesn’t touch the Atlantic. But after a whole week of playing with big dogs, ransacking a fridge full of fancy cheeses, and spending quality time with family—all backdropped with stunning mountain ranges as far as the eye can see—I’m starting to understand the hype surrounding Manifest Destiny. When I try to make sense of my loyalty to the East, it all comes down to the media I consumed growing up—Gilmore Girls, The Great Gatsby, Gossip Girl, etc. (just to name an odd few). I fell in love with the coexistence of old and new: bustling cities with skyscraper-adorned skylines, cobblestone streets lining brownstones, lazy beach towns with cozy coffee shops, countless museums tasked with preserving rich histories and cultures. While I’m sure this blend of past and present exists out west, I am content with appreci-

ating it in small doses—one Spring Break at a time, perhaps. Our writers this week are doing their fair share of postbreak reflection. In Feature, Audrey takes us around the world to the Lourdes Maria Cave and its replicas as they reflect on the role and spread of Catholicism. Our other Feature writer, Nahye, takes to journaling for introspection and recordkeeping. Three of our writers are feeling particularly pensive about the passage of time: Tarini’s piece touches on spiraling in three acts, Vanessa tries to find home in the spaces between fleeting moments, and Maxwell is inspired by the film About Time to be more present and avoid letting his life slip by. Also in A&C, Jamie uses Jannabi’s album Small Pieces II: Grippin’ The Green to meditate on depression and rain. Meanwhile, our Lifestyle writers are reflecting on springtime and friendships: Jedidiah stops to smell the roses and gives suggestions for what to do on College Hill this spring, while Daniella shares a list of things she has adopted from her friends. In post-pourri, Susanne writes a bittersweet letter to the childhood bedroom she will soon leave. Last, but certainly not least, this week’s crossword— made by the wonderful AJ—is a blast to the past!

Despite calling Cuba and Miami our first and second homes, my half-brother and I could not have more divergent convictions about living out west. Namely, he would not trade his adventurous and outdoorsy lifestyle for the world, much less for the cities in New England I’ve grown to love. Though this means we’ll likely never live in the same place again, I think there’s something special about bringing those you love into your world, even if it’s just for a few days at a time—or, in the case of this lovely little magazine, one issue at a time.

Letter from the Editor Katheryne Gonzalez

“I’m full of shame. I was raised Catholic. My shame knows no bounds.”

“My mom never let me use rope swings…that and cocaine.”

Booty

It Up

“It Off” (Taylor’s Version)

My head

-speare

Blast to the Past

by AJ Wu Illustrated By Kaitlyn Stanton

“My sister: who is younger than me, but always insists on driving us everywhere. My sister: who has always been more than capable of handling life on her own—more capable of handling life than I am—still chooses again and again to follow me.”

— Emily Tom, “Killing Ants”

“The words, still unfamiliar to my ears and unnatural on my tongue, flow out more easily than I expected, coming out from the secret reserves where my mind has been hiding them for years.”

— Jeanine Kim, “Making Words Out of Nothing”

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Emilie Guan

FEATURE

Managing Editor

Klara Davidson-Schmich

Section Editors

Daphne Cao Elaina Bayard

ARTS & CULTURE

Managing Editor

Elijah Puente

Section Editors

Lizzy Bazldjoo

AJ Wu

NARRATIVE

Managing Editor

Katheryne Gonzalez

Lynn

Section Editors

Daniella Coyle

Hallel Abrams

Gerber

POST-POURRI

Managing Editor

Susanne Kowalska

Section Editor

Olivia Stacey

HEAD ILLUSTRATORS

Junyue Ma

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OPINIONS

Tao ’27: The Sabbath is for everyone

When I lived on campus last summer, I had an overwhelming amount of free time on the weekends. On Friday nights, I would go to Shabbat dinners hosted by Jewish friends. We would pack into sweltering un-air-conditioned living rooms and share potluck dinners and wine. On Sunday afternoons, I would go to church with my friends and spend the rest of the day with them playing cards and making dumplings. It was good. During these serene summer weekends, I realized that what I was doing was much deeper than just relaxing: I was observing a version of the Sabbath, a tradition that we could all benefit from.

The Sabbath is an ancient Judeo-Christian ritual. According to the book of Genesis, the Sabbath’s significance is cosmic, for it was created alongside the universe itself. God made the world in six days, and on the seventh, he rested — not because he was tired, but because he intended to set an example for humanity.

To observe the Sabbath day is one of the Ten Commandments. However, in my experience, it’s the one commandment that Christians, myself included, don’t even make an effort to keep. We live in a culture that prizes the hustle and devalues

rest. That’s why the Jewish community’s commitment to observe the Sabbath is an inspiration to me — and maybe it should be for us all. I believe the ritual of the Sabbath, whether observed in a religious or secular sense, is for everyone. A weekly day of rest that is communal and enforced lets us escape the false promises of workaholism and become closer to those around us.

Since high school, I’ve been infected with what writer Oliver Burkeman describes as “productivity debt” — the lurking feeling that I need to be constantly delivering to justify my own existence, that I can’t feel good about myself until my to-do list is clear. I’m sure many of us can relate. Despite Brown’s reputation as the “happy Ivy,” we still feel a constant pressure to perform. Now, I could tell you that you should keep the Sabbath because it would make you more productive. There’s a slew of literature on the internet extolling the productivity benefits of rest: less is more, you’ll have more energy, you’ll focus more, yadda, yadda. Often, I hear people say “I need to recharge this weekend” in hopes of bouncing back better than ever. But this is the wrong way to think about rest.

Living life as a cycle of weekends and weekdays, devoid of deeper meaning, is a recipe for burnout. “ “

The purpose of the Sabbath is not to improve productivity but to eschew it. In his seminal work titled simply “The Sabbath,” Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel wrote that “The Sabbath is a day for the sake of life. Man is not a beast of burden, and the Sabbath is not for the purpose of enhancing the efficiency of his work.” Expunge the word “recharge” from your vocabulary, for you are not a machine. Living life as a cycle of weekends and weekdays, devoid of deeper meaning, is a recipe for burnout.

Healthy rest is a time to enjoy the fruits of your labor, cherishing what you’ve earned. Just as God rested after creating the world, the Sabbath is a time to admire the world around you and savor its goodness. This is a skill that must be practiced.

When it comes to resting, I think Jewish tradition has two practical lessons that are useful for all of us: The Sabbath must be enforced, and it must be communal.

Forced rest might seem like an oxymoron, but just like exercise or study, rest is something that should be done regularly, even when it isn’t convenient. Put it on your Google Calendar. A 24-hour day of rest is ideal — my Sabbath is noon on Saturday to noon on Sunday — but if you can’t do that, take 12 hours. Take three hours.

Like any commitment, the Sabbath entails sacrifice. I don’t think I could ever sacrifice as much as observant Jews do for the Sabbath, as I like cooking, biking and listening to music too much. But when I ride my bike past an Orthodox Jewish family walking to synagogue on a hot July Saturday morning, I consider that if they can say no to technology, surely I can say no to a few work commitments. Likewise, you will need to get in the habit of defending your Sabbath time.

This segues nicely to the next lesson: Do it together. Judith Shulevitz, author of “The Sabbath

World: Glimpses of a Different Order of Time,” has a four-step program for a communal Sabbath: “limit work time, make sure the schedules are coordinated, make it a regular habit so that it becomes a regular norm — and the fourth is really the most important — make it festive. Make it fun. Fill it with things.” What kinds of things? Not empty pleasures or bedrotting, but quality time with close friends that makes your soul sing. Try it this weekend. I promise that those glowing devices will grow strangely dim in the sunlight of the Sabbath.

Evan Tao ’27 can be reached at evan_tao@brown. edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@ browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.

Editorial: In attempting to destroy universities like Brown, Trump abandons America’s future

On Thursday night, a White House official confirmed to The Herald that the Trump administration plans to cut $510 million in federal funding to Brown, making the University the fifth Ivy League institution to have its funding threatened in recent weeks. This development represents another volley in President Trump’s war on civil society, science and the truth — a barrage of attacks that are deeply misguided and will have tangible effects on the lives of every single American.

What we are seeing today appears to be the end of an 85-year collaboration between America’s research universities and the American people, one of the most successful in human history. Together, we sequenced the human genome, created the internet and traveled to the moon and back. That is why we watch with profound sadness as a century of American progress comes to a close for no good reason at all.

In cutting federal research funding, Trump sacrifices long-term prosperity for short-term grievances. Not only will we miss out on a generation of future scientists as universities across the country slash PhD slots, but we risk losing top talent to other countries. According to a recent survey in Nature, 75% of responding scientists said that they were considering leaving the country over Trump’s attacks.

The Trump administration disingenuously justifies these cuts in the name of protecting Jewish students. This is a facade designed to distract from Trump’s attempt to dismantle dissent. While antisemitism is undoubted -

ly a problem on college campuses and perhaps even here at Brown, the University has acted judiciously to address these concerns. The indiscriminate nature of these funding cuts will

gerous expansion of political power into the academic sphere — not to foster debate but to end it. Student protests and protected political expression are being met not with dialogue but

harm the very Jewish students and faculty

Trump claims to be protecting.

Across the country, we are witnessing a dan -

with discipline, deportation and defunding. For Trump to successfully consolidate his power over America, speech must be silenced.

History offers a cautionary tale: Inaction in the face of creeping authoritarianism leads only to worse outcomes. In the 1950s, during the McCarthy era, academics and students alike were blacklisted and careers were destroyed for perceived disloyalty or dissenting views. We cannot allow ourselves to follow a similar path.

We call on every university and broader civil society to mobilize in opposition to this administration’s illegal actions. This includes exercising our full legal rights to sue, not buckling to demands and standing in solidarity — both in sentiment and financially through our collective endowments, as suggested by our peers at the Crimson.

These are troubling times, but Brown will survive. We have been here for 260 years, longer than the very country we live in. However, a diminished Brown, Columbia, Penn, Princeton and Harvard cannot serve the world without research. If Trump succeeds in decimating the University, he will kill not only lifesaving research but the American dream.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board, and its views are separate from those of The Herald’s newsroom and the 135th Editorial Board, which leads the paper. This editorial was written by the editorial page board’s members, Ben Aizenberg ’26, Tas Rahman ’26, Paul Hudes ’27, Evan Tao ’27, Rchin Bari ’28 and Ethan Canfield ’28.

MAYA MURAVLEV / HERALD

KOJI HELLMAN / HERALD

Cheong ’27: Stop glorifying Luigi Mangione

A good-looking, Ivy League man raised from Maryland wealth, caught up in an uncharacteristic murder — what better story to capture the American eye.

When Luigi Mangione first broke the news, his story dominated TikTok For You pages not with condemnation as one might have expected, but with silly compilations obsessing over his good looks. Months later, he still pops up with his occasional court hearing, flashing a new classy outfit. Worst of all, Mangione, who is on trial for serious murder and terrorist charges, has fans fawning over him, some even showing up in person to his court hearings — let us not normalize this response but instead see it as evidence of a larger, more concerning trend to condone violence and bypass authority.

There seems to be a growing trend to protest the established social order. Think President Trump and his signature anti-establishment image. Even more aptly, think about the Jan. 6 insurrection. Mangione is just the latest example of anti-establishment sentiment and ruthless protest. But the most fascinating thing about him is his fans. They are plainly absurd — completely disillusioned of his alleged felony, all because of what? Because he has a nice jawline?

The public’s reaction to Mangione is a sign that Americans too easily condone violence in the name of protest. People are falling prey to the widely agreed-upon righteousness of revolution. Living in a country whose own founding was born out of protest, Americans have a great deal of respect for the revolutionary spirit. Revo -

While these messages are great, perhaps the image of protest has become too glorified to the point of becoming fantastical... “ “

lution is synonymous with the revered images of our Founding Fathers and prominent leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. Revolution's untouchable, undeniably positive image is fueled by the admirable revolutions of our national history. However, we have come to a point where this reverence is being used as a foolish excuse for violence.

There’s a certain excitement that comes with protest — you get to participate in a classic American tradition. But more often than not this excitement overpowers the deep, intellectual passions that should fuel protest. Mangione’s fans lack this intellectual passion. Fans see a handsome guy and find it fun to sexualize and thirst over a “bad boy.”

In any other circumstance it would be unacceptable to fawn over a murder-terrorist, but in this case, Mangione is armed with the benevolence of revolution as his excuse. Fans claim they like Mangione because of his message — the protest of common people against the capitalist elite. How could you possibly do something as unpatriotic as saying they are wrong? Our national obsession with revolution allows pointless, foolish violence.

You can find an arguably similar scene here at Brown in the pro-Palestine protests. When students camped out on the Main Green, how much of it was driven by a genuine hatred against injustice? How much of it was driven by excitement to participate in Brown’s signature vehement student protests? When 20 students were led out of University Hall in handcuffs, smiling for the camera and ending up on The Herald’s front page, were their motivations based primarily on injus -

tice or excitement?

Protest is glorified in our society, and it should be. The problem is that we focus too much on its shiny image rather than the deep thought behind it. Perhaps this is because of the American education system and the general American culture. We are spoon fed glorious images of the brave protesters at Stonewall. We are taught the nobility of grassroots organization and speaking up for ourselves. We are encouraged to be wary of established authority, like how Einstein rejected the scientific status quo or how the characters of “1984” protested against Big Brother. While these messages are great, perhaps the image of protest has become too glorified to the point of becoming fantastical — highlighting all the excitement and none of the intellectual sophistication.

Protest is a powerful tool. So powerful, in fact, that we can owe the existence of our country to it. People should treat it more as a sacred tool, not something to casually participate in. We should try to be more aware of this before jumping headfirst into a protest, and also maybe before liking the Luigi Mangione edit that pops up on our screens.

Daniel Cheong ’27 can be reached at daniel_cheong@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

Davis ’27: When it comes to Assistant Professor Rasha Alawieh, the injustice isn’t who, but how

The University has once again found itself in the national headlines after the deportation of Assistant Professor of Medicine Dr. Rasha Alawieh. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Alawieh traveled to Beirut, Lebanon to attend the funeral of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the terrorist organization Hezbollah.

U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin ordered the Trump administration to give the court 48 hours’ notice before removing Alawieh from Massachusetts. Despite court orders to hold her deportation, immigration officials moved forward with her removal to Lebanon. They later claimed in a court filing they were notified of the order after Alawieh had already left the U.S. In typical Brown fashion, many students joined in protest against this perceived injustice at the Rhode Island State House.

National security concerns justify the deportation of Alawieh, but the Trump administration’s disregard for due process also exposes a threat to civil rights. While national security may warrant action, the real focus of outrage should be the administration’s compromise of due process, not the defense of alleged terrorist sympathizers.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Alawieh admitted to supporting the terrorist leader, not for his political ideology but for his spiritual and religious dogma. I don’t find myself

agreeing with the Trump administration very often, but if this is not grounds for detention, what is? To say they are mutually exclusive is naive. A spokesperson from the Department exclaimed, “a visa is a privilege, not a right,” and once again, I’d have to agree. A sympathetic attitude toward ter-

“

regard for the rule of law is where Brown students and the greater public should take issue with this situation. We must recognize that bypassing legal safeguards undermines the rights of all individuals, regardless of background.

Harkening back to my previous column, sup -

While national security may warrant action, the real focus of outrage should be the administration's compromise of due process, not the defense of alleged terrorist sympathizers.

rorists responsible for the deaths of people is not an attitude the American republic should champion.

The focus of our outrage should not be who but how. The Trump administration’s flippant dis -

“

porting specific causes without rigorous interrogation harms the overall movement aiming to advance those causes. In this case, protesting the who — but not the how — damages the left’s resistance against Trump. By defending Alawieh’s

actions, Brown students help him and other federal officials dismiss critiques of his authoritarian nature as liberal extremism in support of Hezbollah. Protesting the how is irrefutable: the Trump administration disobeyed a federal judge’s order — a clear violation of this country’s laws.

Due process is a pillar of our democracy outlined within our Constitution, and without it, the future of this nation is uncertain. Yes, I agree that an investigation should have been conducted into Alawieh’s actions, but that does not authorize the Trump administration to serve as both the judge and jury. Alawieh’s position as an H-1B visa holder affords her the right to a fair trial.

We should focus on the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents’ alleged willful violation of the federal judge’s orders rather than exerting energy protecting those who support the religious teachings of the leader of a group that has killed hundreds of Americans. The injustice is not solely to Alawieh but to the United States Constitution, and us all.

Christian Davis ’27 can be reached at christian_davis@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

KENDRA EASTEP / HERALD

ARTS & CULTURE

REVIEW

Documentary about secret apartment in a Providence mall captures art of resistance

Artists lived in hidden apartment inside Providence mall for four years

BY SUMMER SHI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

In a world full of documentaries that try too hard to create meaning, “Secret Mall Apartment” achieves something remarkable: It reveals the extraordinary within the ordinary without ever feeling contrived. Director Jeremy Workman presents a story that feels effortlessly profound, revealing the layered humanity behind a deceptively simple act of rebellion.

In the early 2000s, artist Michael Townsend and seven other artists from Providence were pushed out from Fort Thunder, an artistic warehouse that had been demolished amid ongoing gentrification efforts in Eagle Square.

This wave of gentrification had been prompted by the construction of Providence Place a few years earlier. As these spaces were constructed in the area of the artists’ former homes, the documentary showed Townsend beginning to observe the mall’s construction.

One day, he noticed peculiar gaps in the building’s structure that didn’t seem to serve any purpose. After the mall opened, he returned to see if he could locate one of those forgotten voids. To his surprise, he did.

Townsend reflected on his discovery, asking himself what would happen if he reclaimed this space to make a quiet statement against the city who had taken his artistic space. This sparked his idea to construct an apartment within the mall.

The documentary draws heavily from

REVIEW

low-resolution video footage captured by the artists themselves during the 2000s.

This technical aspect enhances its intimate feel. The grainy, low-resolution footage creates a contrast with the slick, curated environment of modern footage capturing the mall itself.

Audiences witness the meticulous process of smuggling building materials, furniture and household items into the mall through ladders and emergency exits. The apartment gradually took shape with fortified walls, a door with a lock and key, couches, a dish cabinet and an entertainment system. It even included plans for wood flooring and plumbing that were never realized.

treated the apartment as a means of organizing community art initiatives. These initiatives focused on creating public art that helped people through hard times, from making tape art in hospital rooms to memorializing the firefighters who lost their lives in the 9/11 terrorist attacks in public art. What makes this documentary so compelling is how it captures the evolution of an idea. What began as a protest against gentrification turned into an exploration of space, identity and

connection. The eight artists constructed an alternative reality that existed in parallel with the commercial ecosystem surrounding them. Their secret spot became both a refuge from and a commentary on the consumer culture that had displaced them.

In present-day interviews, the artists speak of their time in the mall apartment with a mixture of nostalgia, pride and wonder. The documentary also captures the authentic warmth of their connections.

Workman’s directorial approach deserves particular praise for its restraint. He allows the story to unfold through the archive of original footage and thoughtful

interviews, resisting the urge to impose a heavy-handed narrative framework. The film trusts its audience to appreciate the nuances of this unusual experiment without explicit messaging. As the artists discuss how living in the mall began to influence their sense of self, the film raises profound questions about authenticity in a consumer-based society.

A portrait of human adaptability and resilience emerges from “Secret Mall Apartment,” as these qualities are portrayed as earned rather than proclaimed. The film shows human responses to displacement not with resignation but with imagination.

The documentary also captures the bittersweet reality that even the most meaningful experiences are often temporary. When Townsend is finally caught, there’s a sense of inevitability rather than tragedy. The project was always destined to end, just as the artists’ earlier community at Fort Thunder ended. Yet the film suggests that impermanence doesn’t diminish significance. Rather, it heightens it.

In an era when so many documentaries feel manufactured for maximum emotional impact, “Secret Mall Apartment” stands out for its authenticity. It doesn’t need to tell us that it’s exploring profound themes about human nature. Instead, it shows humans being resourceful, creative and connected in extraordinary circumstances. The result is a film that resonates not because it makes grand claims about human nature, but because it quietly reveals it through a story as unusual as it is universal.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on March 30, 2025.

Wallows establishes reimagined sound with new EP ‘More’

Project reflects band’s musical journey by incorporating various styles

BY CECILIA CHENG CONTRIBUTING WRITER

On March 28, alternative-indie pop band Wallows released their newest EP, “More,” highlighting their evolving artistic identity that has transitioned closer to the rock genre. The album’s contemplative lyrics explore themes such as growing older, falling in and out of love and self-discovery.

Wallows — consisting of members Dylan Minnette, Braeden Lemasters and Cole Preston — hinted at the EP’s release earlier this year throughout their ongoing Model and More Tour that features the band’s 2024 album “Model.” “More” consists of seven tracks, many of which are unreleased songs from “Model.” As opposed to their previous releases, “More” focuses on the band’s maturity rather than the childhood nostalgia that characterized albums “Tell Me That It’s Over” and “Nothing Happens.”

The EP opens with “Not Alone,” which features a great blend of pop and rock and gives listeners a taste of Wallows’ new style while retaining much of their old sound. The song’s beat — particularly during its second half, when the drums become prominent — is reminiscent of the backtrack of “Only Ecstasy,” a song on “Model.” Upbeat and

COURTESY OF FABIEN KRUSZELNICKI / ATLANTIC RECORDS

“More” is exactly what it says it is, giving audiences a more mature version of the band’s sound and lyrics and a fresh take on their old style.

uplifting, “Not Alone” is the perfect song for a drive to the beach with friends.

The band frequently draws inspiration from their daily lives in their songwriting process, and “Deep Dive” exemplifies this perfectly. The song highlights the turmoil of falling in love with someone who doesn’t love you back, and the highs and lows of the track take the listener through the different stages of a relationship. “I hope that you know” echoes as the backing vocal during the outro of the track, serving as a reminder that one cannot erase their wrongdoings and emphasizing the significance of trust in love.

After “Deep Dive,” the EP abruptly transitions into “Coffin Change,” featuring a

blend of bass guitar and drums. The track is distinctively angry and moody — a jarring contrast from the previous track. “Coffin Change” is also Wallows’ first released song that features rock-heavy instrumentals, and Lemasters — rather than the lead vocalist, Minnette — sings the entire track. The song’s message diverges from those of the other tracks on the EP, instead centering themes of gaining fame and dying young.

“If there’s a price to pay, maybe I’ll find it in my pocket / Pinching all my pennies ’til they shove me in my coffin,” Lemasters repeats during the track’s chorus.

The next track, “Hide It Away,” continues to feature heavy instrumentals. An

immediate fan-favorite since it debuted during the Wallows’ tour, the song is a perfect reflection of the band’s journey of growth and maturity in the industry. “Hide It Away” still has prominent hints of indie-pop scattered throughout the song, reflecting how the band — and their music — has grown over the years.

“Your New Favorite Song” — released as the EP’s lead single earlier this year — captures the reminiscing stage of a breakup. The lyrics illustrate a sense of longing, emphasizing how hard it is to move on into a different stage of life after a relationship.

Filled with “what ifs,” the bridge descends into post-relationship overthinking. The

instrumentals of the track become much calmer and laid-back, similar to songs on the Wallows’ 2018 EP, “Spring.” The addition of horns adds a new element to the track, while the sounds of a guitar create a sense of nostalgia.

Before concluding with a more upbeat reprise of “Deep Dive,” the new EP features “Learn to Love Again,” the longest track on the 22-minute project. The track’s lyrics illustrate the process of reflecting on past relationships, learning from mistakes and finding love again. A completely indie-pop track, “Learn to Love Again” has a catchy pitch that sounds lighter and happier compared to some of the EP’s rock-heavy tracks. However, the track truly stands out due to its tender lyricism, which embraces the vulnerability of finding the ability to love again.

“More” is exactly what it says it is, giving audiences a more mature version of the band’s sound and lyrics and a fresh take on their old style. The EP showcases Wallows’ exceptional songwriting skills, as well as their ability to deliver meaningful messages within their sound. The constant sonic changes throughout the album reflect the many different styles Minnette, Lemasters and Preston have explored throughout their careers, emphasizing their long journey in the industry — and the long road ahead of them.

For four years, the eight artists — Townsend, Adriana Valdez-Young, Colin Bliss, James J.A. Mercer, Andrew Oesch, Greta Scheing, Jay Zehngebot and Emily Ustach —

COURTESY OF IMDB

These technical aspects enhance its intimate feel. The grainy, low-resolution footage from the early 2000s creates a contrast with the slick, curated environment of the mall itself.

‘MUSIC’ is the next step in Playboi Carti’s fearless evolution

The tantalizing rapper pays homage to his Atlanta roots

BY ZACH ROBEL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Last month, Playboi Carti released his highly anticipated album “MUSIC,” a sprawling 30-track project. The enigmatic artist has delivered yet another controversial record, cementing himself as one of rap’s most polarizing figures.

Carti has long been celebrated — and scrutinized — for his unpredictability, constantly reinventing his sound and aesthetic. His 2018 debut studio album, “Die Lit,” introduced the world to a highpitched, repetitive style, which Carti contradicted two years later in “Whole Lotta Red,” a project that traded playful melodies for punk-inspired sounds.

While sonically scrambled, “MUSIC” grounds itself in the rap scene of Atlanta — Carti’s hometown. He draws heavily from the mixtape era of the early 2010s, not just in spirit, but also in sound. With rapid-fire snare rolls, unyielding lyrics and an unpredictable, unfiltered edge, the album mimics the wild energy of early 2010s trap tapes. Even as it dominates the charts, “MUSIC” carries the rawness of an underground release.

“MUSIC” opens with “POP OUT,” a track that features Carti’s intense vocals

‘I Said I

Love

Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco leave much to be desired on the album

BY ALYSSIA OUHOCINE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

If you’ve been spared from the recent flood of Selena Gomez and Benny Blanco press appearances, then you’ve likely missed the release of their new album “I Said I Love You First.” With a run time of almost 35 minutes, the record is a dull, shockingly juvenile attempt at what could have been a heartfelt collaboration.

One of the album’s largest shortcomings is captured in the interlude “Do You Wanna Be Perfect.” On the track, a synthetic-sounding voice pitches a product capable of making the listener “perfect” and “sexy.” It’s interrupted, however, by Gomez reminding the listener to “Actually, just be exactly who you are / There’s literally no one like you.” Platitudes like this — which once felt earnest on Gomez’s 2011 song “Who Says” — ring hollow on an album devoid of any tangible heart. Instead of standing out, the message is cheapened by its arbitrary placement near the end of the tracklist.

These issues strike at the core of why “I Said I Love You First” is unmemorable. The lack of cohesion in both sound and content dampens most of the songs’ ability to truly hit home for listeners.

“I Said I Love You First” is the album’s opening interlude, featuring a tearful speech by the young Gomez to the cast and crew of “Wizards of Waverly Place” on her last day on set.

“It was the best day of my life,” Gomez says on “I Said I Love You First – Explained: Narrated by Selena Gomez,” a version of

piercing through a grimy, thunderous instrumental. It’s his weakest album intro to date. The harsh, jarring sound doesn’t quite replicate the mythic heights of “Location,” “Long Time (Intro)” or “Rockstar Made”— openers that feel instantly legendary.

And yet, the violent, vulgar and arrogant “POP OUT” still holds weight.

“I’m a reject, but I’m still turnt,” Carti declares boldly, an announcement to all

Throughout the album, Carti takes aim at the heart of the Atlanta trap sound. On “RADAR,” Carti redefines the sounds of the 1017 Brick Squad era once dominated by Gucci Mane and Young Thug. With flashy lyrics and relentless snare rolls, the track resurrects the spirit of early 2010s Atlanta. It’s thrilling, electric and a signal that Carti is still redefining the rules of trap.

The first few tracks on “MUSIC” feel

are the collaborations between Carti and Kendrick Lamar. Though he was featured on three tracks, Lamar’s most memorable moments come on the songs “BACKD00R” and “GOOD CREDIT.”

“BACKD00R” is light and groovy. Jhené Aiko joins Lamar in a dreamy, melodic hook that floats over the soulful beat. It’s a rare moment of serenity on the album, with Lamar showing off his arsenal of unique voices and flows.

listeners that he has returned, untamed and unapologetic.

The following track, “CRUSH,” which counts Houston rapper Travis Scott among its producers, blends industrial synths and choir vocals to create a song that can only be described as bizarre. The track is a mind-boggling mixture of instrumentation, as Carti’s boastful lyrics interact with the experimental beat to create a sound that is entirely his own. It’s confusing, yet just intriguing enough for you to replay the track over and over again.

sonically scattered, with each song jumping into a new space. That sense of unpredictability continues in “RATHER LIE,” an immediate classic that cuts through the chaos with unexpected clarity. Carti and the Weeknd deliver vulnerable lyrics about fractured trust and toxic love over an ethereal beat. The Weeknd serenades listeners with a catchy chorus, while Carti’s verses are melodic, creative and sticky. The collaboration creates one of the most enjoyable songs on the album.

The biggest surprises on the album

The vibe shifts on “GOOD CREDIT,” where Carti and Lamar brag of wealth and fame over a much darker beat. Both artists are more lyrical here, rapping with a sharp bravado.

On the track “LIKE WEEZY,” Carti pays homage to rapper Lil Wayne, who released an album in 2023 titled “I Am Music” — the same phrase plastered across Carti’s album cover. The song, built around a sample of 2010 hit “Bend Over” by Atlanta group Rich Kidz, is bouncy and dripping with charisma. It’s all the reasons

You First’ is an unoriginal, lackluster

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA VIA PETRA COLLINS

In an effort to capitalize off their dynamic relationship, Gomez and Blanco miss the mark on both cohesion and depth with “I Said I Love You First.”

the album where Gomez shares insider information about the tracks. “That was a promise I had made to my cast and crew that I’d dream and hope that I would make them proud one day,” she added. Opening the album with a throwback reminds listeners — many of whom might have watched Gomez grow up on Disney Channel — why the superstar has occupied such a soft spot

within pop culture.

The next song, “Younger and Hotter Than Me,” is more successful and the most gut-wrenching track on the album. Where

“Do You Wanna Be Perfect” is eye-roll-inducing, “Younger and Hotter Than Me” picks at a wound all too familiar for people coming of age in the era of social media.

Lyrics like “All of the girls at this party

fans love Carti mashed together into one song, standing out as one of the album’s most infectious moments.

Tracks like “TOXIC,” “WAKE UP F1LTHY” and “K POP” all carry a villainous, sinister energy — think a glitchy soundtrack for a video game’s menacing final boss. In contrast, the brightness of “I SEEEEEE YOU BABY BOI” and “WE NEED ALL DA VIBES” injects the project with bursts of energy. The album is full of these jarring tonal shifts, displaying Carti’s ability to veer between darkness and euphoria with no advance warning.

Carti continues to make new sounds, and nowhere is this more evident than on the track “OPM BABI.” With 808s thundering and the melody raging, Carti alternates between his iconic high-pitched vocals and his newfound lower voice, while DJ Swamp Izzo repeatedly yells his own name behind blaring gunshots. It is complete and utter madness. It is chaotic and totally unfiltered. But the production’s rawness cements the track as an anthem, capturing the essence of Carti’s raging persona that is scattered throughout his discography. On “MUSIC,” Carti is relentless in his identity — defiant and unattached to the expectations of mainstream music or even the boundaries of his previous work.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 2, 2025.

collaboration

Are younger and hotter than me / And I hate what I wore / But I hate myself more” capture the feelings of inadequacy that often accompany growing older. Gomez’s voice works alongside masterful production by Blanco and FINNEAS. Deeply intimate, the piano ballad is a strong point that rises above the discordance of the rest of the album.

“Call Me When You Break Up,” featuring Gracie Abrams, is the project’s lead single and was released in February, around a month before the rest of the album. The song is a jaunty, effortless addition to the pop genre. Abrams’s feature, while verbose, brings novelty to the very repetitive lyrics.

The song is followed by Gomez and Blanco’s collaboration with indie pop band The Marías on “Ojos Tristes,” which features a blend of Spanish and English lyrics set to a romantic and lulling melody. “Ojos Tristes” and “Bluest Flame,” Gomez and Blanco’s collaboration with Charli xcx, share the same shortcoming: Gomez and Blanco merely replicate the genres and artists they take inspiration from, completely losing any distinctive essence of their own. “Ojos Tristes” could be taken right out of The Marías’ discography, while “Bluest Flame,” with its contributions from “Brat” mastermind Charli xcx, is a random stab at hyperpop.

“I Can’t Get Enough,” featuring J Balvin and produced by Tainy and Blanco, was previously released in 2019. The song is similarly out of place on the album, a clear marker of the sonic disjunction that characterizes the record. Rather than feeling eclectic, “I Said I Love You First” seems to be an inside joke inaccessible to all listeners except Blanco and Gomez.

Some tracks are more successful.

“Don’t Wanna Cry” and “You Said You Were Sorry” have a familiar sound and

message, reminiscent of much of Gomez’s early discography. “How Does It Feel To Be Forgotten” demonstrates Gomez’s vocal prowess, which, for much of the album, remains understated. The lyrics are cutting, revealing a maturity within the popstar: “You’re so embarrassin’ / Go cry when no one’s watchin’.”

But this maturity is undercut by the cringe-worthy lyrics on songs like “Sunset Blvd,” the album’s third single. While expressions of intimacy can strengthen the passion of love songs, the lines “But I can’t wait to hold it, to hold that / Big, big / Hard heart” just feel juvenile. “Cowboy,” while brilliantly produced, suffers from the same abrupt turn into sensuality. The album’s songs oscillate too wildly between emotional piano ballads and hedonistic lamentations, furthering the album’s overall identity crisis.

The rest of the songs perpetuate the album’s uninspiring tone. “Don’t Take It Personally” is a bizarre dialogue between Gomez and a former lover’s new girlfriend — poor execution on a concept that lacks invention. “Scared of Loving You,” the album’s lackluster closer, is one of the brief moments when the album clearly centers around Blanco and Gomez. Despite “I Said I Love You First” being advertised as the culmination of Blanco and Gomez’s musical and romantic connection, it features few obvious connections to their relationship. In an effort to capitalize off of their dynamic relationship, “I Said I Love You First” misses the marks on both cohesion and depth. While Blanco and Gomez are respectively talented, this meeting of their minds fails to impress.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

CORPORATION

Brown Corporation member defends campus protestors in a piece in The Atlantic

Xochitl Gonzalez ’99

notes international student detentions

BY CATE LATIMER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

On Tuesday, Brown Corporation member

Xochitl Gonzalez ’99 published an article in The Atlantic defending students’ right to protest. She argued that students receiving green cards or visas have the right to speak freely and become social activists without threat of revocation.

Gonzalez, who is currently a staff writer at The Atlantic, has been a Brown Corporation trustee since 2022.

Her article comes in light of the recent detentions of international students such as recent Columbia graduate Mahmoud Khalil and Tufts University doctoral student Rümeysa Öztürk. Khalil was a lead negotiator during Columbia’s 2024 pro-Palestine protests, and Öztürk co-wrote an op-ed for the Tufts Daily last year about divestment efforts on campus.

In her article, Gonzalez detailed her

experience being confronted and yelled at by Brown student protestors after the Corporation voted not to divest from companies with military ties to Israel.

At the October Corporation meeting, around 150 activists protested the Corporation’s decision, which was announced earlier that month. After the meeting’s conclusion, activists confronted Corporation

members as they left the Warren Alpert Medical School and temporarily blocked a bus containing Corporation members from crossing an intersection.

A few days after the meeting, Executive

Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 sent a campus-wide email describing some of the students’ behavior at the protest as “deeply concerning” and “entirely

unacceptable,” citing that protestors allegedly banged on a vehicle, screamed “profanities at individuals” and used a “racial epithet directed toward a person of color.”

Gonzalez wrote that while some of her colleagues felt “rattled” by the experience, she thought that “these were students in America doing what students in America should do: questioning authority (in this case, me) and using their rights to free speech and free assembly to engage with issues they are passionate about.”

“I never for a moment felt that these students were a threat to me, let alone to America’s national security,” she added, explaining that these alleged threats to national security are the government’s justification for revoking the visas and green cards of international students who have participated in pro-Palestine activism.

Gonzalez criticized Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s recent use of a provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act that allows him to revoke green cards and visas. She notes that people have been “snatched from their home or the sidewalks outside” or not allowed to reenter the country, spe-

Faculty vote to change titles of lecturers to teaching professors

Teaching professors now have chance to serve on TPAC

BY SAMAH HAMID SENIOR STAFF WRITER

At Tuesday’s faculty meeting, faculty members voted to change the titles of “lecturer,” “senior lecturer” and “distinguished senior

FACULTY

lecturer” to “assistant teaching professor,” “associate teaching professor” and “teaching professor,” respectively.

Faculty also voted to include teaching professors on the Tenure, Promotions and Appointments Committee to provide input when the promotion of teaching professors is being discussed.

Both recommendations were proposed at last month’s faculty meeting, The Herald previously reported.

“In following the practice of TPAC, those who would participate in such cases would be those who reached the highest rank in that track,” said Kristina Mendicino, professor of German studies and the chair of the Faculty Executive Committee.

She noted that the title changes follow the example of peer research institutions, like the University of Chicago and Emory University, that have adopted similar new titles.

Patricia Ybarra, professor of the hu-

manities, noted that the name change could require international faculty members to reapply for their visa.

In response, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 recommended an amendment that the title change be adopted when the staff member wants.

But Leah VanWey, dean of the faculty and professor of environment and society and sociology, raised concerns about establishing a precedent of allowing individuals to

cifically referencing Assistant Professor of Medicine Rasha Alawieh.

Despite holding a valid H-1B visa, Alawieh was deported last month after U.S. Customs and Border Patrol found “sympathetic photos and videos” of Hezbollah leadership on her phone, according to the Department of Justice.

A spokesperson from the State Department did not respond to The Herald’s request for comment.

Gonzalez also argued that the right to protest shouldn’t depend on citizenship status.

“Green cards may be a privilege, but once they reach American soil, these students also have rights — to speak freely, to peacefully convene, to enjoy due process under the law,” she wrote.

Gonzalez continued that “criticism — even at its most odious — does not imperil a nation any more than being yelled at by students imperiled me.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 2, 2025.

choose their titles, arguing that it would lead to certain faculty being referred to as “lecturers” and others as “teaching professors.”

As a result, faculty approved an amendment to the motion that required any exceptions to the title change to be approved by the Dean of the Faculty.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 2, 2025.

Faculty express concerns about draft of institutional values

The March 18 draft statement proposes four core institutional values

BY SAMAH HAMID SENIOR STAFF WRITER

At Tuesday’s faculty meeting, faculty members raised concerns about the draft of Brown’s institutional values, which was released on March 18. Multiple speakers criticized the timing of the draft process, as well as the draft’s distinction between the community and institution and policy surrounding University stances on issues that do not align with its mission.

The draft statement proposes Brown’s core values as the “pursuit of knowledge and understanding,” “academic freedom and freedom of expression,” a “commitment to openness and diversity” and “respect for others and the University mission,” The Herald previously reported.

Multiple faculty members expressed that the amount of time allocated to complete the draft statement was insufficient and called for more open discussion about the proposed values.

Carlos Aizenman, professor of neuroscience and brain science, said in the meeting that the process seems “a little bit rushed.” He recommended that more time be allocated to the process to allow for faculty and student forums, in which community members could engage in direct conversation with the Ad Hoc Committee on

University Values and Voice, which drafted the statement.

According to the March 18 announcement, community members can provide feedback on the draft statement through virtual town halls, an online feedback form and an email that connects directly to committee members.

Govind Menon PhD’01, professor of applied mathematics, voiced concern that there has been “relatively little” input from the faculty, citing current data that shows feedback was received from only seven faculty members.

“I do recognize fully the urgency of engaging with this, but I do feel a need for caution,” Menon said, emphasizing the need to examine how the draft statement interacts with the University’s current policies and to receive additional “scholarly appraisal” on the proposed values.

In the meeting, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 disagreed with establishing an extended timeline. She argued that the core institutional values should be outlined soon, so they can be referenced in future discussions on academic freedom and diversity and inclusion.

“It would be, I think, in this moment, actually tremendously helpful for me to say the Brown community has endorsed these as core institutional values,” she said.

The draft statement’s proposal that the University “shall not, through public statements or business practices, express positions on issues unrelated to its mission” was also a point of contention for many

faculty members.

Brian Lander, associate professor of history and environment and society, argued that “the economics of the institution always express values and will always, therefore, be the locations of disagreement.”

Faculty members argued that the subject of the University’s public statements should be approached separately from its institutional values.

Aizenman said the University has previously used its institutional voice in a way that is not in alignment with the guidelines in the draft statement. He argued that the University’s separate divestments from South Africa and tobacco products did not advance its mission — something that would be required under the new guidelines.

“A lot of the things that we all agree with as a community will go against the

core mission, and that’s just not a tenable situation,” Aizenman said.

James Kellner, chair of the values and voice committee, emphasized that the proposed limitation on University statements is not meant to be interpreted as institutional neutrality. Kellner is also a professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology and environment and society.

The committee believes “the University needs to be able to take extraordinarily non-neutral positions on things, even on really controversial things,” Kellner said.

Paxson added that the draft statement should be thought of as “defining guideposts that help lead us in the right direction.”

“We’re still going to have a lot of things to muddle through,” she said.

Multiple professors also raised concerns about the draft statement differentiating

between community values and University values. The committee was seeking to define the core values of the University, not of the community, Kellner previously told The Herald.

Aizenman noted that the separation of community values from the core values of the University seemed “artificial,” particularly because Brown’s mission statement references “a partnership of students and teachers in a unified community.”

“The institution is the community,” Aizenman said. “And so to say that their core values are separate from the community values is going against Brown’s mission, the way it is stated.”

Nadje Al-Ali, professor of international studies, anthropology and Middle East studies, added that she found the draft values to be too general.

“I feel like the values could be applied to higher education (and) academia, in general,” she said. “I don’t see Brown reflected in it.”

Menon added that a “statement of values is meaningful only if we have kind of a clear set of processes which tell us what to do when people violate values.”

Kellner emphasized that the draft statement should not be read as written policy. Policy changes and implementations, if they occur, will be the work of future committees, he said.

MAX ROBINSON / HERALD

In her article, Gonzalez detailed her experience being confronted and yelled at by Brown student protestors after the Corporation voted not to divest from companies with military ties to Israel.

SCOUT CHEN / HERALD

Carlos Aizenman, professor of neuroscience, said that the process seems “a little bit rushed.”

ACCOMMODATIONS

Students share experiences, challenges with applying for housing accommodations

The Herald spoke with several students whose requests were denied

BY ZARINA HAMILTON SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Every year, a select few students begin their housing process months earlier than the rest by submitting disability and religious housing accommodation requests. The Herald spoke with several students about their own experiences and challenges with the accommodations process.

Jordan Heinrich ’26 was diagnosed with cerebral palsy when she was two years old. For her, housing accommodations are not a request, but more of a necessity.

“If (the Office of Residential Life doesn’t) give me what I need, I genuinely can’t live there,” Heinrich said.

For students who request accommodations, ResLife will assign housing based on their application and any provided documentation, according to the office’s website. Students’ whose requests are approved will be notified of their placement before general housing selection begins. If students are denied or believe their assigned housing is not suitable, they can submit an appeal or reject their placement and participate in the general housing selection.

The accommodation request process is different for disability and religious requests.

All students’ requests for disability housing are reviewed by Student Accessibility Services, which then determines the necessary accommodations for each student. Once a request is approved, SAS shares its decisions with ResLife, which then assigns specific housing based on the request, according to Brenda Ice,

assistant vice president for residential and community living.

While religious requests do not require additional forms of documentation, students applying for SAS accommodations must submit medical records supporting their request, Heinrich explained.

Heinrich said she has had a positive experience with receiving necessary housing. But Maximilian Bean-Tierney ’28, who has a medical history of hunger-triggered migraines, had the opposite experience.

In an email to The Herald, Bean-Tierney wrote that although he submitted medical documentation outlining his need for a personal kitchen, SAS denied the request and explained that he could use a communal kitchen instead.

Bean-Tierney noted that he has made do in his current dorm this year without accommodations — but only because he

DATA: The Housing Process

BY CALEB ELLENBERG DATA CHIEF

On April 8, many rising sophomores and juniors will make one of the bigger decisions of their college career — where to live next year. Maybe you’re a rising junior vying for a Graduate Center single. Maybe you’re an incoming sophomore with a late time-slot hoping to avoid Perkins Hall at all costs. No matter your goal, The Herald is here to help. The Herald’s Data Desk analyzed hour-byhour data of how last year’s selection process played out. The bad news? You probably aren’t getting into Chen Family Hall or Danoff Hall. The good news? Unless you sleep through your time slot, you probably aren’t going to be forced into Perkins either.

But there’s a whole lot of housing between those two extremes, so The Herald built a couple tools to help you find that sweet spot. If you scroll past these paragraphs, you’ll find a tool where you can specify special-interest housing designations and other housing desires to get personalized information about what your likely choices will be. For those most eager to dive into the data, you can search for every single room matching certain criteria at a given point in time in housing. Of course,

there’s no guarantee that selection this year will go just like last year, but you can reasonably expect many patterns to hold.

Online, can see a graph of the percentage of rooms available in each dorm, hour-by-hour throughout the entire selection process.

Enough explaining. Enjoy the data. We hope it helps you through one of the more challenging processes in Brunonia. And, of course, good luck — you may well need it.

Explore the full interactive data visualization through the QR code below.

has been able to use his friends’ meal swipes.

“I often run out of my own given how frequently I need to eat,” he added, expressing concerns with having to depend on others for meal support.

ResLife’s staff also works with the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life to evaluate religious accommodation requests for students seeking to “live on-campus in an environment that supports their religious beliefs, observances and practices,” Ice wrote in an email to The Herald.

The number of religious requests has increased in the past several years, Ice noted. But religious accommodations may not be approved if ResLife determines “that the request can be met in other facets of campus living and by participating in the General Selection process,” she added.

Heinrich said they believe the in -

crease in requests may have made it more difficult for students to receive necessary accommodations.

“People love to take advantage of accommodations,” Heinrich said.

Shoshana Hoffman Kleiner ’28 expressed frustration at the fact that some students may attempt to receive better housing by applying for accommodations, even though they may not need them.

Hoffman Kleiner, who is gluten-free and follows a kosher diet, has applied for both disability and religious accommodations. While her initial SAS request was approved for a personal kitchen to more easily prepare gluten-free meals, her religious request was denied and she was placed with a group of random roommates.

Hoffman Kleiner explained that keeping a kosher kitchen requires all those who use it to maintain a kosher

diet, which would likely not have been the case if she had accepted her initial assignment.

After the request was denied, Hoffman Kleiner made an ultimately successful appeal to ResLife. She was given a new housing assignment with roommates who also maintain a kosher diet.

“I honed down on what I specifically needed,” she explained. “Then I think it was easier for (ResLife) to realize that I was legit and accommodate that.”

Hoffman Kleiner added that she knows a large number of other Orthodox Jewish students whose religious accommodations requests were denied this year.

Molly Ibrahim ’27, a Coptic Orthodox Christian, also applied for religious accommodations this year. She specifically requested a single for solitude during hourly prayers and a kitchen to make fasting and maintaining a vegan diet easier, but this request was initially denied.

“Being Coptic is a huge part of my culture and being able to observe my religious practices accordingly is an integral part of my identity,” she said.

Like Hoffman Kleiner, Ibrahim appealed the request, specifically emphasizing her need for a single and rescinding the request for a kitchen. Though eventually she received a single, she said it was “very inconvenient and disappointing” to not have a kitchen.

When Hoffman Kleiner’s request was denied, she noted that she received helpful assistance from ResLife by attending their office hours.

“They really do seem to be trying their best, and it’s a really tough situation to be in,” Hoffman Kleiner said.

BEN KANG / HERALD

The Office of Residential Life assigns student housing based on requests, according to the office’s website.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP

Patricia Poitevien ’94 MD’98 appointed next vice president for campus life

Poitevien is currently senior associate DEI dean, associate prof. of pediatrics at Warren Alpert

BY HADLEY CARR UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Patricia Poitevien ’94 MD ’98 will be Brown’s next vice president for campus life effective June 1, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 announced in a campus-wide message on Tuesday morning. Poitevien will replace Interim Vice President for Campus Life Russell Carey ’91, who was appointed in June 2024 after the passing of Eric Estes, then vice president for campus life.

Poitevien is currently the senior associate dean of diversity, equity and inclusion at Brown’s Warren Alpert Medical School and an associate professor in the division of pediatric hospitalist medicine at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

“I am thrilled to tap into my skills, my experience and my personal love of Brown to lead the Division of Campus Life,” Poitevien wrote in an email to The Herald.

In September 2024, Poitevien was appointed to serve as the interim vice president of Brown’s diversity office after the departure of Sylvia Carey-Butler.

“During her time in that role, Pat thoughtfully and collaboratively provided leadership amid complex challenges in an evolving landscape of federal policy changes affecting both the University and individual community members,” Paxson wrote, adding that this experience “will serve as a strong foundation for her role stewarding the holistic care of our community.”

As the vice president for campus life, Poitevien will collaborate with staff across administrative units and academic departments to “create opportunities” for undergraduate, graduate and medical students, Paxson wrote.

“Pat stood out for her strong knowledge of developmental learning and her deep understanding of health and well-being as integral to student success,” Paxson wrote.

After graduating from Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education, Poitevien completed her residency training in pediatrics at New York University Langone Health / Bellevue Hospital Center, and has since spent the past decade in graduate medical education.

Poitevien’s scholarship focuses on alleviating disparities in medical education.

“I have spent my career thinking about developmental growth while examining and designing living and learning communities that promote inclusion and flourishing of learners,” she explained.

Poitevien previously served as the president of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors. She also led the Brown Pediatrics Residency Program at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

“I have had the extraordinary privilege of being an undergraduate, a medical student, an alumna, a faculty member and an administrative leader at Brown,” Poitevien wrote. “Each role has provided me with rich insight into what makes Brown a transformational place to learn, to teach, to work and to grow.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on April 1, 2025.

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Poitevien will replace Interim Vice President Russell Carey '91, who was appointed in June 2024.

BEN KANG / HERALD