Friday, December 6, 2024

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD VOLUME CLIX, ISSUE 27

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

Friday, December 6, 2024

135th editorial board

How Brown University recruits and admits its athletes

postMagazine

KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD

Approximately 14% of Brown students are varsity athletes.

Process includes pre-evaluation, academic index, school visits

SEE 135 PAGE 14

Most students who apply to Brown toil over their application without guidance from anyone affiliated with the University.

But the avenue for admission is slightly different for recruited athletes compared to the rest of the student body.

Approximately 14% of the student body comprise Brown’s 34 varsity teams, many of whose members are recruited while still in high school. The Herald spoke to people directly involved in the recruiting process to learn about the admissions process for recruited athletes.

Brown has two primary goals in athletics recruiting, said Colleen Kelly ’06, the senior associate director of athletics recruiting and retention.

“One is finding the right fit,” Kelly said. “We want you to come here and have a really great experience.” The second is

to make Brown’s athletic programs competitive. “But that’s not going to happen unless you find the right fit on the front end of recruiting,” Kelly said.

Kelly works with all of Brown’s coaches, “from the time a coach identifies a prospective student-athlete on their respective playing surface, all the way through the time until they matriculate at Brown,” she said. She also acts as the liaison between Athletics and the Office of College Admission.

Recruiting begins with athletics and admissions leaders determining how

many student-athletes will be “formally supported” in the admissions process, University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald. “Athletics then determines how to allocate these across its varsity teams, and the number varies by team.”

After setting the number, the University’s admissions team conducts “a thorough pre-application evaluation of academic credentials” of a prospective applicant pool before deeming which students are

METRO

SPORTS

ARTS & CULTURE

UNIVERSITY NEWS

EDITOR'S NOTE

City Girls get Metrospective (again): The 2000s edit

The Herald's top 10 Brown Athletics moments of 2024

The Herald's 2024 most memorable albums, movies, pop moments

Year in Review: 10 highlights of The Herald's coverage in 2024

A farewell to 2024 and the 134th editorial board's time at The Herald post-

SEE CITY GIRLS PAGE 4

SEE ATHLETICS PAGE 7

SEE MEMORABLE PAGE 13

SEE YEAR IN REVIEW. PAGE 14

SEE FAREWELL PAGE 15

BY TALIA LEVINE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

SEE ATHLETES PAGE 2

SEE POST- PAGE 8

magazine

UNIVERSITY NEWS

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Internationals urged to return to U.S. before Jan. 20

Paxson expresses concern U. shares plans to maintain diversity after drop for second Trump term

Brown advised international students after elections

BY MEGAN CHAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER Brown advised international students, faculty, staff members and scholars to return to Providence before Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump is set to take office, according to an email reviewed by The Herald.

The email was sent to all community members at Brown without a U.S. passport.

Throughout his campaign, Trump pledged to launch the “largest deportation” effort of undocumented immigrants in U.S. history.

Approximately 408,000 undocumented students are

currently enrolled in American colleges and universities.

Trump has also vowed to reinstate his 2017 travel ban, which affected predominantly Muslim countries. The restriction was later extended to North Korea, Venezuela and Chad.

“It is important to note that at this time, no travel restrictions or bans have been announced or confirmed,” the Office of International Student and Scholar Services, or OISSS, wrote in their Monday email. “Thus, this guidance is precautionary only.”

Other higher education institutions — such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Yale and Wesleyan University — have sent sim-

SEE OISSS PAGE 2

She discussed threats to higher ed at faculty meeting

BY CATE LATIMER SENIOR STAFF WRITER President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 expressed concern about the influence of President Trump’s second term on higher education at Tuesday’s faculty meeting, including threats against Brown’s academic mission and an increased endowment tax.

Paxson emphasized that public confidence in elite higher education has been in decline since well before the election. She argued that the distrust stems from a number of factors, including the cost of university tuition, debates about the value of the liberal arts and public condemnation of “wokeness.”

UNIVERSITY NEWS

“These are things that we face all the time, but when we’re in a transition like we are right now, I think some of these are going to come to the fore, especially with concerns about the federal budget next year,” she said.

Provost Frank Doyle, she added, has convened a small working group charged with keeping track of issues emerging out of Trump’s second presidency, “with an eye to how they would affect on-campus constituents.”

Paxson then moved to discuss the recent increased politicization and Congressional scrutiny of higher education.

“One thing I’ve prioritized this year is defending Brown from ongoing public and Congressional threats to higher education,” she said. “This has been a concern for some time.”

SEE TRUMP PAGE 2

U. will rely upon alums for several of its new initiatives

BY OWEN DAHLKAMP AND CIARA MEYER UNIVERISTY NEWS EDITOR AND SENIOR STAFF WRITER Brown announced new initiatives aimed at maintaining diversity in the University’s student body following a sharp drop in the share of Black and Hispanic students enrolled after the termination of race-based affirmative action in college admissions.

In Brown’s first-year class of 2028, the share of Black students dropped 40% while the share of Hispanic students dropped 29%

compared to the class of 2027.

Brown’s efforts to sustain racial diversity target “recruitment, matriculation and retention of a diverse community of students,” wrote Provost Frank Doyle and Interim Vice President for Institutional Equity and Diversity Patricia Poitevien in a Today@ Brown announcement.

At a Wednesday meeting of the Brown University Community Council — a forum of administrators, faculty, staff, students and alumni — President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 said that she believes “all of these programs will be covered by new fundraising, so it won’t impinge on the rest of the University’s budget.”

The University will establish five new regionally-based admissions positions to enhance col-

SEE DIVERSITY PAGE 3

PAGE 2

Friday, December 6, 2024

UNIVERSITY NEWS ATHLETES FROM PAGE 1 “likely to be admitted based on that initial review,” he added.

There are specific criteria for athletes to be admitted, Kelly said. She works with coaches to determine whether a prospective student meets Brown’s academic standards.

The Ivy League uses an Academic Index, a numerical measure of a prospective athlete’s high school academic performance. According to Kelly, each team’s AI must remain within two standard deviations of the student body average.

“The Ivy League provides that metric for us. It’s based on the overall student body population, and the student-athletes have to be representative of the overall student body population,” Kelly told The Herald.

“Every student admitted to Brown and every student that matriculates at Brown has an academic index attached to their name, and then the student-athlete population is two standard deviations away from what that overall student body is.”

The Ivy League gave Brown an AI of 217.3 this year, according to Kelly. While the factors used to calculate the AI fluctuate by year, the typical factors that determine the score are a student’s GPA and test scores.

OISSS FROM PAGE 1 ilar advisories to their international students, The Herald previously reported.

According to OISSS, international students may anticipate travel delays after Jan. 20. The Office also advised students to be diligent with carrying and submitting required travel documents.

People from “countries of particular concern” and “special watch list countries” — as designated by the U.S. Secretary of State — or countries previously impacted by federal

TRUMP FROM PAGE 1 In the past year, the House Committee on Education and the Workforce has held multiple Congressional hearings for university presidents, which have preceded the resignations of three Ivy League presidents at Harvard, Penn and Columbia.

Paxson assured faculty that the University has been “working very collaboratively” with peer institutions and other members of the Association of American Universities to address various institutional priorities.

“We are in Washington a lot,” Paxson said, “talking to legislators and their staff, helping them understand our priorities and understanding their concerns so we can have good conversations.”

She also expressed worry about how an early Trump administration executive order may threaten Brown’s academic mission, including the University’s diversity,

This practice ensures “that student-athletes meet the same academic standards as other students,” Clark wrote. “The academic profiles of our incoming student-athletes are consistent with those of Brown’s overall student body.” He also highlighted Brown’s high academic rankings within the National Collegiate Athletic Association, commonly known as the NCAA. Once students formally apply, “admissions officers review and make decisions about every applicant individually,” Clark wrote. Most of the applicants have already been vetted by the initial review process.

Though Clark acknowledged that most students admitted through this process ultimately enroll at Brown, “we don’t yield every prospective student-athlete even after this extensive process,” he said.

Of Brown’s class of 2028, 14% of students admitted early decision were recruited athletes. 83% of the class’ recruited athletes were admitted early, according to The Herald’s first-year poll.

Ben Taylor ’27, a football player from Oregon, spent a year after high school completing a post-grad year — essentially a second senior year of high school — in order to improve his chances of playing football at an academically rigorous uni-

versity.

The summer before his post-grad year started, Taylor participated in a recruitment camp at Brown and verbally committed to the University by the end of June.

During recruiting camps, coaches run drills as if they would during real practice for prospective recruits, who then compete against each other.

Taylor noted that many Brown students are confused about the recruiting process and assume athletes are automatically accepted. Taylor emphasized that he doesn’t think this is true.

“The thing that people don’t really realize about the athletes is that a lot of us had the same GPAs in high school, took the same classes,” he said. “But there’s also the part that people forget: how much time goes into playing a sport.”

Recruitment processes also look different depending on the sport. Jordan Wiseman ’27, who plays rugby, said that “because rugby is not that well known,” the recruiting process looks different.

While Taylor was contacted by football coaches, Wiseman took the initiative to reach out to Brown’s rugby coach.

When Wiseman attended an unofficial campus tour, she had already sent game tapes to coaches. After watching the Brown

team compete, she met with the coach the next day, who told Wiseman that “we want you” and gave Wiseman an “SAT minimum score,” encouraging her to maintain her GPA and keep sending game videos.

As a student at Brown, Wiseman also helps organize visits in the spring for recruited rugby players. She said her own campus visit as a prospective student-athlete sealed the deal for her enrollment.

When she assumed the position, she did so to provide potential recruits with a similar experience.

During their visits, prospective recruits have the opportunity to get to know members of the team, watch practice and spend the night in a dorm.

But Wiseman, unlike Taylor, did not apply early decision. Instead, she received her regular decision “likely letter” about two weeks before official decisions were released.

Emma Zwall ’25 was recruited for the track and field and cross country teams, but is no longer on the teams. She said that her experience looked slightly different because she applied during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“I never went on an official visit,” Zwall said. Instead, the process consisted of “a lot of phone calls” and a Zoom call with

the team.

Former Brown athletes have an ongoing lawsuit against all eight Ivy League colleges for their lack of athletic scholarships. The Ivy League is the only Division I athletic conference that does not provide athletic scholarships.

“All financial aid awarded by Brown is need-based, meaning that no factors are considered except the family’s demonstrated financial need,” the University website reads. “We are committed to meeting 100% of demonstrated financial need for undergraduates.”

Over the last few years, athletic recruitment has been the focus of scrutiny.

The infamous 2019 scandal, “Operation Varsity Blues,” uncovered a scheme in which wealthy parents bribed their child’s way into universities under the guise of athletic recruitment. Brown was not one of the universities named in the case.

Through Brown’s winding recruitment process, Kelly said she tries to identify who will fit well with the University’s culture. In her meetings with prospective students, “you can tell when that excites a prospect,” she said. “You could tell that they’re gonna have a really great experience here when those are the reasons why they’re choosing Brown.”

travel limitations should “be aware of potential travel restrictions or bans,” the email continued.

This list of countries includes Algeria, China, Cuba, Eritrea, Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Myanmar, Nigeria, North Korea, Tanzania, Russia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen.

Past travel restrictions have had “tangible implications for students, faculty and staff at Brown,” said Associate Provost for Global Engagement Asabe Poloma.

Ukrainian student Olha Burdeina ’27, who had already bought her ticket

when OISSS sent out the email, decided to switch to an earlier flight.

“I wouldn't say that I'm concerned about coming back to the United States,” Burdeina added. “But it’s a little bit unsettling, and I think it's better to be safe than sorry.”

Chinese student Missy Liu ’27 echoed similar sentiments. She felt “more stress” upon receiving the email, but feels that the travel process will be relatively manageable with the appropriate documents.

For other students, Trump’s immigration proposals pose a larger threat.

Salman Aji ’27, who holds a Syrian

passport, recalled feeling “deeply disappointed and concerned about the upcoming administration.”

On his first flight to the U.S., Aji said he experienced “repeated ‘random’ security inspections, intrusive questioning and luggage searches.”

“Traveling home is no longer a risk but an impossibility, as leaving the U.S. could mean not being able to return,” Aji continued.

In its Monday email, OISSS reiterated that international students have the option to apply for winter break housing. The Global Brown Center, which also works to sup-

port international students, will announce further resources in the coming weeks, said Andrew Heald, director of GBC. The OISSS did not provide comment at time of publication.

“We remain committed to sharing guidance as more information becomes available, and we will diligently monitor changes in visa and immigration policies, processes and regulations,” Poloma said.

equity and inclusion initiatives.

Paxson also echoed concern for international students with visas after a Monday email from the University advised international students, faculty, staff members and scholars to return to Providence before Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20. Trump has previously vowed to reinstate his 2017 travel ban, which primarily targeted Muslim countries.

“Our spring semester starts right before inauguration, so dorms are open and if students feel like they need to stay here over break, we will support them,” Paxson said.

Other universities, including Yale and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, have issued similar advisories, but no travel bans have officially been announced.

She added that undocumented students, especially those with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals status, may be

under threat. The DACA program delays the deportation of undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children and allows them to apply for work authorization. Trump rescinded DACA in 2017, but the Supreme Court overturned Trump’s decision in 2020. Following a district court opinion in 2021, no new DACA requests were allowed.

Paxson released a statement following the 2016 presidential election in which she vowed to support undocumented students and detailed Brown’s legal and financial resources for students. In August 2017, Paxson sent a letter to Trump urging him to preserve DACA and establish a path towards permanent citizenship for those with DACA status.

Trump has also said he would increase taxes on large universities in his second term. In 2017, he signed into law a 1.4% tax on endowment investment income

for many universities with a per-student endowment exceeding $500,000. At the time, Brown didn’t qualify for the tax, but the endowment is now large enough that it meets the tax threshold, Paxson said.

Additionally, Vice President-elect J.D. Vance introduced a Senate bill to further raise the tax in 2023, which did not pass.

Paxson also expressed worry about research funding in addition to Medicare and Medicaid.

“We are working really, really closely with experts in the field and our partners across the spectrum of higher education … to address these issues with the relevant policy makers and educate them and lobby and argue that what we do is important and that we’re here to serve society,” she said.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 2, 2024.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2024.

MAX ROBINSON / HERALD

INSTITUTIONAL VALUES

After fraught divestment proceedings, new committee will clarify Brown’s values Faculty-led committee will include administrators, faculty, students

BY CATE LATIMER SENIOR STAFF WRITER Brown will convene a new committee to develop a clear University values statement, a faculty member announced at Tuesday’s faculty meeting. The announcement of the Committee of Institutional Values and Voice followed criticism of a lack of clearly defined institutional values during Brown’s

divestment proceedings.

Brown’s advisory investment committee — the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management, or ACURM — recommended against divestment from 10 companies affiliated with Israel earlier this semester. ACURM’s recommendation was followed by the Corporation voting against divestment at an October special meeting.

The committee will be led by Jim Kellner, ACURM’s chair and a professor of ecology, evolution and organismal biology and environment and society. The committee will include two administrators, six faculty

members and three students, among other stakeholders.

Kristina Mendicino, chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, introduced the Committee of Institutional Values and Voice.

“On the one hand, ACURM is being asked to make decisions about morals and ethics and values,” she said at the meeting.

“On the other hand, Brown has no value statement to clearly define what those values are, and the charge of ACURM is very narrow.”

ACURM members highlighted this am-

biguity in their report on divestment. “If it is the case going forward that divestment action will only be considered when the investment or expenditure of University resources directly causes ‘social harm,’” they wrote, then “the University will almost never divest its resources from any entity.”

Some pro-divestment student activists have criticized ACURM’s decision as well.

According to Mendicino, in a recent meeting with President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20, it became clear that a “higher level discussion of University values” would be helpful when it comes to rethinking

ACURM’s decision.

Paxson expressed enthusiasm for the committee, emphasizing that the issues it will address have been discussed across campus with students, faculty and members of the Corporation.

She added that this committee will help the University implement consistent policies and a “common understanding of how we should be doing business.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2024.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 3

UNIVERSITY NEWS DIVESTMENT

Why did Brown consider divestment? A tree on the Main Green may have helped Main Green’s elm tree was a pressure point during negotiations

divestment from Israel began on the Main Green on April 24 and ended April 30. The tree was removed on May 4.

“We were given a timeline and told that they were working on a strict timeline because they needed the tree out,” said Anila Lopez Marks ’26, one of the students involved in negotiations to end the encampment. “It felt like the most immediate pressure point.”

A feature of the green for at least 80 years, the elm tree died during the 2023-24 academic year after a years-long decline and was removed on May 4.

“The most important priority in ending the encampment was safety,” Clark told The Herald in his description of the agreement.

“Given the extensive reports about violence, harassment and intimidation at encampments on other campuses across the nation, the potential for escalation was a significant concern.

Reaching a peaceful end to the unauthorized encampment was our goal.”

Clark also cited “preparations for Commencement and Reunion Weekend” as a focus

of the administration during negotiations.

“Removal of the American elm tree near University Hall was one part of those preparations,” he said. “Given the risks a dead tree can pose, it was important to be able to proceed with removal and restoration of the site well in advance of Commencement and Reunion Weekend.”

Isabella Garo ’24, another student present at the negotiations, said she remembered working at Reunion Weekend in 2023. She called the University’s landscaping preparations “obsessive.”

Facilities Management workers were “just obsessively landscaping and planting all of these flowers and trying to make all the foliage look beautiful,” Garo told The Herald.

A year later, Garo participated in the Main Green encampment in support of divestment.

With Commencement and Reunion approaching and over a hundred students camped out on the Main Green, Garo brought up her experience from the prior year.

“I remember specifically saying, ‘I don’t

think they will let us last longer than a week, because they care too much about lawn care,’” she said. “There's no way they're going to let us stay here and risk the picture-perfect Commencement weekend that they try to put on every single year.”

Pro-Palestine organizers at Brown put on large-scale rallies throughout the 2023-24 academic year, including during a hunger strike, two sit-ins and the encampment. Marks said

that the University’s agreement to a vote on divestment felt like a product of those efforts.

Still, “it felt frustrating that rather than the culmination of all of these other acts being enough on their own to push a vote, it was the tree that, in some ways, had to be that final push,” Marks said.

laboration with high schools. Paxson said that Associate Provost for Enrollment and Dean of Undergraduate Admission Logan Powell is still determining what cities will house the new officers, though Detroit and Atlanta are being considered.

Brown will also offer new programs for guidance counselors to better understand

recruiting students from underrepresented backgrounds, expanding collaboration with alumni affinity groups. Supporting these efforts would involve recruiting at least 750 alumni.

The University will also increase its participation with QuestBridge — an organization that matches students from low-income backgrounds with top universities. Paxson said that the Universi-

competitive in terms of aid for students from families that make under $60,000 per year. But, she acknowledged that in the $60,000 to $150,000 range, the University “sometimes fall(s) behind.”

BUCC member Daniel Newgarden ’25 asked Paxson about how the new funding to match financial aid offers could impact the early decision applicant pool. “Early decision students might not be getting a

discussions about the FAFSA are “driving a lot of the conversation” around whether students have “the market strength” to consider Brown.

Paxson said the University would try to inform students “in a targeted way” that they are able to negotiate their financial aid packages.

“We anticipate that with time, hopefully, the FAFSA process will also smooth out,

what unique contributions this might allow you to make to the Brown community.”

In Sept. 2023, Paxson charged the Ad Hoc Committee on Admissions Policies to reconsider Brown’s use of legacy preferences in admissions, the early decision application round and standardized testing requirements. Paxson ultimately adopted the group’s recommendation to keep early decision and legacy admissions in place and

the admissions process, Doyle and Poitevien wrote in the announcement.

At the BUCC meeting, Paxson said that yield rates for students of color are currently lower compared to white students. “If we could simply bring all those yields up, we would be in a much better place right now,” she said.

Several initiatives plan to rely on Brown’s alumni network to reach more students with underrepresented backgrounds, such as creating a new alumni relations position to support alumni volunteers in

ty increased the number of QuestBridge matches by 25 this fall. In the class of 2028, 64 students were admitted through QuestBridge matches.

The announcement reiterated and expanded upon previously announced strategies for sustaining diversity, including plans to expand travel grants for students to visit campus, collaborate with community-based organizations and increase funding to match students’ need-based financial aid offers from other institutions.

According to Paxson, Brown is very

broad array of other financial aid offers,” he said. Those students would have “less market power” to negotiate their aid packages, he added.

A report by the Ad Hoc Committee on Admissions Policies found that students who apply early tend to be less racially and socioeconomically diverse in comparison to the rest of the applicant pool.

Poitevien said that recent challenges with the Free Application for Federal Student Aid have been an “external pressure” on ED applications. She added that

and that would help to facilitate providing more flexibility for those students who are interested in early decisions but also requiring financial aid,” Poitevien said.

Though the Supreme Court’s ruling did not bar applicants from discussing their race in their application, it did prohibit universities from considering “race for race’s sake.”

In the wake of the Court’s decision, Brown’s essay questions included the prompt “share how an aspect of your growing up has inspired or challenged you, and

reinstituted the University’s mandatory test score submission policy.

Doyle emphasized that the efforts outlined in the announcement were the “immediate plan,” but that Brown is “open to learning about other approaches.” Paxson said the University will be pursuing “monitoring and strategy assessment along the way so that we can fine tune what we do.”

BY HALEY SANDLOW CONTRIBUTING EDITOR When Brown first agreed to put divestment from Israel to a vote, administrators said the decision would “prevent further escalation” and preserve safety on campus.

But students involved in the negotiations suggest an additional factor gave them the leverage to strike an agreement with the University: a dying elm tree on the Main Green.

A feature of the green for at least 80 years, the elm tree died during the 2023-24 academic year after a yearslong decline and needed to be removed before the 2024 Commencement Weekend. The Department of Facilities Management planned to take down the tree in late April, according to University Spokesperson Brian Clark.

The student encampment in support of

DIVERSITY FROM PAGE 1

LILA QUINNE / HERALD

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 1, 2024.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2024.

Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor.

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD 134TH EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Neil Mehta

Sports Editors Dennis Carey Linus Lawrence University News Editors Julianna Chang Owen Dahlkamp Ryan Doherty Katie Jain Anisha Kumar Sam Levine Aniyah Nelson

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PAGE 4

Friday, December 6, 2024

METRO City Girls get Metrospective (again): The 2000s edit The 2024 metro staffers of The Brown Daily Herald compiled their favorite stories of the year.

MANAGING EDITOR & VICE PRESIDENT

M

AN CHAN G ’ E

27

This year, Metro was “all-hands-on-deck” to cover the elections. That work effort came together in one of my favorite stories of the year: “2024 election polls: Centers navigate voter registration challenges.” The day-long project pulled together the entire section, with writers and photographers running across the city to hear from voters on issues that mattered most to them. I’m also happy that I got to write for The Herald one last time with the journalist who was once my writer and now is ready to run this place: Tom Li. On our last adventure, we went to the Brown-backed solar farm and discovered that solar panels are a lot bigger than you might think.

LIA VAZ ’25 U J

SENIOR STAFF WRITER “Meet Gary Wallace, Providence’s tinkering printer” was the best, most fun first article of the year I could’ve possibly had. Australian Olympic breakdancer Raygun has never meant so much to a girl!

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

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SECTION EDITOR

A KENNED

’2

M

A KELLY ’ AY 2

SENIOR STAFF WRITER “Florence, Friendship and Flooding: Splendor of Florence Festival returns to Providence” was one of my favorite stories to write this semester. Interviewing Italian chefs was one of the least-quotable but most enjoyable few hours of my BDH career. Italians can really talk!!

MANAGING EDITOR & VICE PRESIDENT

’26

MIK

L AY

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“These RI climate programs are at stake in the 2024 election” was a super informative and timely piece from this year. I think it’s super important to get specific about the impacts of an election, especially on the local level, and Ciara did a great job of that! the state.

C

AB I

“2024 election polls: Centers navigate voter registration challenges” was a story that was extremely rewarding to contribute to. As our nation grappled with a handful of different issues and topics during this election year, to have the opportunity to get into the community and talk to voters within Rhode Island felt important and necessary. Metro really came together as a team on this one, making sure to capture the diverse and vibrant voters across the state.

A M E Y ER

Abigail Donovan’s story “Providence invests $870,000 to combat overdose crisis, support prevention center” was one of my favorite reads of the semester. Abigail handled this topic with such care and crafted a digestible, informative and comprehensive story.

5

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R IA

7

’26

ASHID

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

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L DONOVA AI

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“How the Roger Williams Park Zoo offers a peek at endangered species and conservation” was such a fun article with great photographs — and a video of a sheep that went unpublished but Ciara would be too happy to show you if you ask.

“2024 election polls: Centers navigate voter registration challenges” was a story that was extremely rewarding to contribute to. As our nation grappled with a handful of different issues and topics during this election year, to have the opportunity to get into the community and talk to voters within Rhode Island felt important and necessary. Metro really came together as a team on this one, making sure to capture the diverse and vibrant voters across the state.

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“Over 500 people rally at Rhode Island state house in support of Palestine and Lebanon” was my first time training new writers on covering community and activism-related events. Seeing writers grow and get more involved with journalism has been the most rewarding part of being an editor!

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“Over 500 people rally at Rhode Island state house in support of Palestine and Lebanon” because I got to experience on-the-ground coverage (and it was the first story I worked on)!

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 5

METRO HEALTHCARE

Women & Infants Hospital union to cancel strike after tentative agreement The union originally voted to authorize a Dec. 12 strike

BY MEGAN CHAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island reached a tentative agreement with 1199SEIU — the union that represents the hospital’s frontline staff — early Wednesday.

As part of the agreement, the union withdrew their strike notice, according to a press release. The strike, approved by union workers with ninety percent of the votes, had been scheduled for Dec. 12, The Herald previously reported.

For the workers, the new three-year contract will include “industry-leading wage increases” and boost retirement benefits, according to the union.

Over 2,000 union members will vote

COURTESY OF KENNETH ZIRKEL VIA WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Last week, over 1,800 WIH workers voted to authorize an unfair labor practice strike on Dec. 12. Ninety percent of union members voted in favor, The Herald previously reported. on ratification of the agreement later this negotiate new conditions of employment week, 1199SEIU announced in a statement and communicate information relevant to shared with The Herald. the bargaining process.

In a Nov. 27 statement, the union alNurse Lactation Consultant and Union leged that employers failed to “bargain in Delegate Nancy Chandley Adams previousgood faith,” citing management’s refusal to ly identified compensation, staffing and

working conditions as leading concerns for union members in an interview with The Herald.

It had been “months of feeling like

Spokesperson Raina Smith in an email to The Herald.

“It has not been an easy road, but we are hopeful this allows us a new opportuni-

we’re disrespected,” Chandley Adams said at the time, also citing inflation and the pandemic as economic stressors affecting the union’s members.

Care New England President Shannon Sullivan told WJAR last week that the hospital had been “negotiating in good faith for two months.”

The union also alleged intimidation, threats and “physical acts against union members” by management in the article.

In one instance, a manager “hit a worker” during a union meeting, 1199SEIU Elected Organizer Heather Kelley claimed in an interview with The Herald.

“We do not tolerate any form of workplace violence. The hospital takes all accusations seriously, conducts thorough investigations and appropriately addresses any inappropriate behavior,” wrote CNE

ty for respect and communication between union workers and management to the benefit of our patients,” Chandley Adams wrote in the union’s statement.

Contract negotiations had been ongoing since early October. The hospital workers’ most recent contract expired on Nov. 30.

Two weeks earlier, over 1,200 frontline WIH staff held an informational picket about staffing shortages and other labor concerns.

“We are ready to move forward with all our colleagues to focus on what is most important: providing outstanding care,” Sullivan wrote in the CNE press release.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2024.

TRANSPORTATION

RIPTA’s new service changes to increase route frequency, improve commutes Mostly additive changes contrast proposed cuts earlier this year

BY CIARA MEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER New bus service proposals aim to make the commute of students across Providence’s Public School District more efficient. Additional bus routes and increased frequency were also proposed, following potential cuts earlier in the year due to a driver shortage.

The Rhode Island Public Transit Authority held public hearings on the proposed service changes on Wednesday and Thursday.

If the changes are enacted, Routes 10X and 28 would have additions to serve the new Amazon Fulfillment Center in Johnston, a deviation on Route 29 would be cut, Routes 35 and 78 would no longer travel inbound on I-195 and Routes 72 and 78 would experience increases in trip frequency.

“The vast majority of these changes are service improvements,” Cristy Raposo Perry, director of communications and public outreach for RIPTA, wrote in an email to

The Herald. “Budgetary considerations were not a factor in the proposed Route 29 segment elimination,” which was cut due to low ridership, Raposo Perry added.

“We’re seeing a lot of positive changes,” said Amy Joy Glidden, an advocate with RI Transit Riders. Glidden was pleased with Route 78’s increased frequency, especially as the closure of the Washington Bridge continues to impact traffic, she said.

Some afternoon bus services from Hope High School, Mount Pleasant High School, E-cubed Academy and Dr. Jorge Alvarez High School would no longer transfer through Kennedy Plaza. Instead, they will operate directly to neighborhood bus routes.

RIPTA’s Director of Service Planning and Scheduling Ed Brown said the change aims to make afternoon transit “a little more efficient for the students.” Ed Brown said RIPTA will work directly with the schools to ensure students and families are aware of the changes. Students will also be provided with maps of the new routes.

Glidden noted that since the Rhode Island Department of Education took over PPSD schools in 2019, schools have started operating on more similar schedules. As a consequence, “there were now a massive

KAIA YALAMANCHILI / HERALD

RIPTA's Director of Service Planning and Scheduling Ed Brown said the goal of the afternoon school service change is to make afternoon transit “a little more efficient for the students.” amount of students at Kennedy Plaza, dence Streets Coalition, a transit advocacy which caused some problems,” she said. group. “We should be trying to provide as While Glidden said she doesn’t blame much direct service as possible — one-seat the students for issues and fights in Ken- rides are always better than transferring.” nedy Plaza, she said it’s a “good solution” Earlier this year, RIPTA had plans to to have students going directly to neigh- eliminate 11 routes and reduce service on borhood routes instead of all ending up several others. In June, RIPTA announced in the Plaza. that it would no longer move forward with “Getting students between home and those reductions. school faster without needing to stop for “We have successfully addressed our transfers downtown is a huge win,” said labor shortage and are now able to imLiza Burkin, an organizer with the Provi- prove statewide transit service and reli-

ability,” Raposo Perry wrote.

From Jan. 1 to September of this year, new programs from RIPTA led to the hiring of “37 new drivers into the paratransit program and the transfer of 39 paratransit drivers to fixed-route,” Raposo Perry wrote in a previous statement to The Herald. During this time, RIPTA had nine retirements in fixed-route and one in paratransit, she added.

“We’re really grateful that the driver wage increase … and the new training methods have allowed RIPTA to hire more drivers over the past year,” said Burkin.

Both Glidden and Burkin said there is a need for continued advocacy to adequately fund RIPTA. RIPTA entered fiscal year 2025 with a $3.1 million shortfall. Burkin expressed fears that improvements at RIPTA are “gonna be under threat again next year if Governor McKee doesn’t fund the operational deficit.” The state’s overall budget is expected to be constrained in FY2026, with an approximate $250 million overall anticipated deficit.

For 2025, the Providence Streets Coalition “will be at the statehouse advocating strongly for RIPTA just like we were last year,” Burkin said.

EQUITY

Human Rights Campaign gives Providence perfect score on LGBTQ+ index Index rates cities’ policies, services on LGBTQ+ equality

BY LEV KOTLER-BERKOWITZ STAFF WRITER Providence received a perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s 2024 Municipal Equality Index. The MEI reports ratings on hundreds of cities throughout the U.S. on LGBTQ+ equality in the city’s policies, services and programs.

This is the 11th year in a row in which Providence has earned a score of 100.

The HRC, a civil rights nonprofit, graded 506 cities in the 2024 MEI. These cities included all state capitals, the 200 largest U.S. cities and 75 cities with the highest proportions of same-sex couples.

Eight cities in R.I. were graded; Providence was the sole perfect score

recipient in the state. In total, 130 cities throughout the country achieved a perfect score.

“The score highlights Providence’s ongoing commitment to ensuring it remains a welcoming, inclusive city that supports and advocates for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community,” wrote Anthony Vega, a spokesperson for Mayor Brett Smileys office.

The MEI grades cities in five categories related to LGBTQ+ rights. It evaluates the city’s non-discrimination laws, LGBTQ+ employment protections, access to housing and LGBTQ+-related public services. It also assesses the relationship between law enforcement and the LGBTQ+ community by evaluating law enforcement responses to hate crimes.

The MEI also evaluates city leaders’ statements and actions — both symbolic and substantive — on LGBTQ+ issues

and awards points if the city has a Human Rights Commission and an LGBTQ+ liaison, both of which should advocate for the needs of LGBTQ+ residents.

The Index rewarded Providence for having equal employment-related benefits to domestic partners of city employees, regardless of gender, and for providing services to residents with HIV and AIDS. In a press release announcing Providence’s perfect score, Smiley’s office noted that “while these areas have long been strengths for the city, they have now been officially recognized.”

Over the past decade, Providence has expanded its protection and recognition of LGBTQ+ residents. In 2015, the city extended healthcare coverage for its employees and retirees to cover several aspects of gender transition-related healthcare.

In 2016, the Providence School Board

KAITLYN STANTON / HERALD

passed a policy to support transgender and gender-expansive students, which included allowing those students to use their preferred restroom and let gender identity and gender expression be con-

sidered when students participate in physical education.

Last year, the state passed a bill protecting same-sex couples who adopted children.

PAGE 6

Friday, December 6, 2024

SPORTS VOLLEYBALL

Women’s volleyball drops Ivy League Tournament semi-finals Brown lost three straight sets to Princeton, 25-21, 25-10, 25-16

BY LYDELL DYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER After a four-game win streak propelled the women’s volleyball team (11-14, 8-6 Ivy) to the Ivy League Tournament, the Bears challenged the Princeton Tigers (15-11, 12-2) in the semifinals on Nov. 22. But after losing three straight sets, the Bears’ season ended early.

Still, with four players earning Ivy honors, Brown had cause for celebration.

With an average of 15.24 digs per game, Jessie Golden ’26 was not only bestowed with First Team All-Ivy honors, but was also named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year for the second season in a row.

“I’m super grateful for my teammates and coaches for helping me get this award,” Golden wrote in a message to The Herald. When asked about her outstanding dig-average, she explained: “I just try to go for everything on game day, even if I think I can’t get the dig, still making a move and going for it has worked for me.”

Racking up 335 kills on 93 sets, Mariia Sidorova ’26 was named First Team All-Ivy, as well. Backing her up, Beau

Vanderlaan ’25 and Julia Kakkis ’28 were honorable All-Ivy mentions.

The first set of the day was Brown’s strongest. Hannah Flannery ’26 scored the Bears’ first point by forcing a blocking error on Princeton’s Kamryn Chaney.

Throughout the rest of the contest, Flannery remained a cornerstone of Bruno’s offense, ending the day with eight points and six kills.

Down by one, the Tigers struck back, tying the game at four points all. Then, initiated by a kill from Sidorova — who totaled 6.5 points over the course of the contest — the Bears went on a 7-to-1 point run to claim an 11-5 lead.

From that point forward, it was all Tigers. Spearheaded by Chaney, Princeton tied the game at 19 all, before running away with a 25-21 victory.

“We struggled to maintain energy after losing the first set so closely,” Golden wrote. “Throughout the entire game we lacked grit and effort and could have made changes quicker.”

With the momentum of one victory on their backs, the Tigers made quick work of Bruno’s defense in the second set, jumping to an early 7-0 lead. Though Ally Panzloff ’27 and Sidorova tried to revive Brown’s offense with a pair of kills, Princeton’s attack was unrelenting. By the time the whistle was blown, the Tigers had more than doubled the Bears score, winning the set 25-10.

After losing three straight sets, the Bears’ season ended early.

The Tigers opened the third set with three straight kills. Trying to escape another early setback, Sidorova and Sophia Wolfson ’28 blocked back-to-back Princeton attacks, and after a Tiger attack error, the Bears were able to tie the game at

three all. Unfortunately, this was the last time Brown was not playing from behind, and after a methodical offensive flurry by the Tigers, Bruno’s playoff hopes came to an end with a crushing 25-16 loss.

Now, the Bears look to the upcoming

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

season. “We’ll have a better understanding of how to start stronger and fight harder to have a better beginning to the season,” Golden wrote. “Personally, I’m grateful to get another opportunity to play with the people I love.”

HOCKEY

Women’s hockey wins two out-of-conference matchups Bruno takes home a win in the Mayor’s cup for the first time since 2014

BY DENNIS CAREY SPORTS EDITOR This weekend, women’s hockey played their post-Thanksgiving match-ups, feasting on two victories over Providence College and Holy Cross. The two wins break a six-game winless streak that saw the Bears lose four games and tie twice.

“I think this was definitely a good weekend for us to get back to who we are as a team,” defender Cameron Sikich ’25 wrote in an email to the Herald. “It's always nice playing out of conference games but we need to gear up for more ECAC play this weekend.”

Saturday’s match-up featured an in-

the goal, Monique Lyons ’28 was there

riod, the Bears found their mojo again.

goals and her fourth and fifth goals of

state rivalry as the Bears faced off against

to finish the attack off and hammer the

India McDadi ’26 found her way onto

the season. She sits just behind team

the local opposition: Providence College.

puck home. The second goal gave Bruno

a pass by Jade Iginla ’26 and slotted it

leader DeCoste, who has notched seven

In a close 3-2 victory, the Bears proved

a commanding lead heading into the first

into the open Friar net. It was a beauti-

goals this season.

themselves as the premier hockey pro-

intermission.

fully worked team goal as quick passes

Norehad noted that her ability to

But in the second half, after only 45

from Ava DeCoste ’27 and Sikich opened

cover the whole rink has “improved tre-

gram in the capital, securing the Mayor’s cup for the first time since 2014.

seconds of play, the Friars had gotten

the space up for Iginla and McDadi’s

mendously” and noted that she is having

The start of the game couldn’t have

themselves back in the game with a goal.

goal-scoring maneuver.

“a pretty strong season.”

gone better for the Bears. Within just

At just under 13 minutes, they got

From then on, Bruno just needed

After a quiet first stretch of play, Bru-

three minutes, Bruno was on the score-

a second goal and Bruno’s substantial

to defend their thin lead. Seven saves

no scored two goals in quick succession

sheet.

lead had been reduced to nothing. The

from Rory Edwards ’27 in goal kept the

at the halfway mark of the first period.

After nearly two minutes of aggres-

Mayor’s Cup looked to be slipping away

Bears on top and when the final horn

First was Norehad, who latched onto the

sive, nonstop hockey, Jess Ciarrocchi

as Bruno failed to win their lead back

sounded, Bruno proved themselves the

rebound from a shot by Victoria Damiani

’25 broke through after Olivia Fantino

after earning two power plays late into

best in Providence.

’28 to take the lead. Then DeCoste flew

’28 won the puck in the Friar’s half, fol-

the second period.

Broz’s performance in the faceoff

down the ice to find an Iginla pass right

Bruno did manage to play an impres-

was not to be overlooked. She managed

in front of the goal to get a two-goal

sively clean game of hockey. For the first

to win 14 of her 18 faceoffs, giving Bru-

advantage that the Crusaders did not

Despite being outshot 9-6 in the peri-

time all season, they did not concede

no crucial possession and an advantage

recover from.

od, Bruno managed to extend their lead

any major fouls and kept their players

throughout the match.

late in the first period. When a shot from

out of the box for the entire 60 minutes.

“While it's only one game, winning

Sam Broz ’27 deflected off the post of

Only 39 seconds into the third pe-

the Mayor's Cup is a big deal for this

Goals from Ella Muralt ’28 and Nore-

program and where we're headed,” Sikich

had in the second and third periods, re-

wrote. “Getting to win it in my last year

spectively, were just icing on the cake

is definitely an exciting and proud mo-

for Bruno.

lowed by a quick and clean finish from Ciarrocchi.

The Crusaders managed their sole goal late in the period.

ment that I'm glad I got to be a part of.”

While the offensive dominated, the

Turning to Sunday’s game, Bruno

defensive power play unit was phe-

looked to carry some of that momen-

nomenal for Bruno as well. Contrary

tum for a second straight win. In a 4-1

to Friday’s performance, Bruno found

dismantling of the Crusaders, the Bears

themselves facing six minutes short-

looked more like the team that won six-

handed, including a 3-versus-5 situation

straight at the beginning of the season.

late in the third period. But they never

The team had seven different players

wavered and kept the Crusaders off the

assist in the match, a dominant attacking

scoresheet.

performance. On top of that, the Bears

“It was really exciting to see our

outshot Holy Cross 52-19, keeping them

penalty kill thrive this weekend as it's

on the back foot for nearly the entire

something we've been working really

match.

hard at,” defender Sikich wrote.

“Going into the game, we wanted

Watch as the Bears look to carry their

to make the simple plays, while staying

newfound momentum into this week-

more dialed in on our details,” Margot

end’s ECAC matchups, their last two

Norehad ’27 wrote. “We knew in past

games of the year. Those games will be

games we haven't tested the goalie as

streamed on ESPN+.

much so getting pucks to the net and having a shooter's mentality gave us a lot of momentum.”

Within just three minutes, Bruno was on the scoresheet.

COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Norehad scored two of Bruno’s four

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2024.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 7

SPORTS

The Herald's top 10 Brown Athletics moments of 2024 Margot Norehad scores “Michigan” goal Unlike every other entry on this list, this moment developed quicker than a championship won, an

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Brunonians compete, earn medals at Paris Olympics This summer, a number of former and current Bears made their presence felt at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Alum Emilie Bydwell ’08 coached the U.S. Women’s Rugby Sevens team to a bronze medal, earned in a dramatic victory against Australia. Alums Henry Hollingsworth ’22 and Gus Rodriguez ’22 represented U.S. men’s rowing, with the former Brown captain Hollingsworth helping claim a bronze medal in the men’s eight. Zehra Bilgin ’25 and Amie Barrow ’26 represented Turkey and The Gambia in the 4x200-meter freestyle race and the 100-meter breaststroke, respectively, with Barrow becoming the first woman to represent her nation in the sport.

Meanwhile, skater Vincent Zhou ’25.5 was finally presented with his gold medal after an anti-doping violation retroactively displaced the Russian Olympic Committee from their first-place honors, giving the U.S. the top spot.

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COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS

Football beats Harvard for first time since 2010 It was the failed snap heard ‘round College Hill. Down by five with forty-five seconds remaining, the Bears were staring down the barrel of what seemed an inevitable thirteenth consecutive loss to Harvard when the Crimson fumbled a field goal attempt, allowing Bruno to reverse their recent rivalry history.

When Jake Willcox ’24.5 connected with Mark Mahoney ’24.5 on a 27-yard touchdown pass, the team had sealed a miraculous 31-28 victory. Brown’s stadium was sent into an unforgettable frenzy as fans stormed onto the field, finally leaving fourteen years of frustration

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LILA QUINN / HERALD

Women’s soccer advances to Ivy Championship Game The 2024 Brown women’s soccer team embarked on their season with all the weight of the program’s four-year streak of Ivy regular-season titles from 2019-2023 — during which time they were absurdly undefeated in Ivy Play — but without three of the centerpieces of that recent dynasty’s core.

While their reign over the Ivy standings and undefeated streaks both came to a close, the team put together yet another successful season.

Bruno earned third place in the conference and defeated Columbia 2-1 in the Ivy semifinals before falling to No. 1 seed Princeton 2-0 to miss out

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Men’s water polo advances to NWPC Championship Game Following a strong 2023 campaign, the men’s water polo team this fall advanced to the Northeast Water Polo Conference Championship Game for the first time since 2016.

As the No. 3 seed in the NWPC, the Bears defeated Long Island University 23-13 in the quarterfinals and narrowly overtook Harvard 11-9 in the semifinals before falling to No. 1 Princeton 17-6. Felix Mercado, completing his 16th season as Head Coach, was named Coach of the Tournament.

AP IL R

ered one of the University’s premiere athletic squads, men’s club frisbee team Brownian Motion earned their first championship since 2019. Entering USA Ultimate’s National Tournament as the No. 8 seed, they took down California Polytechnic State University 15-11 in the decisive contest on the day after commencement. Only the University of North Carolina and University of California, Santa Barbara have won more titles than Brown’s four.

Adding to the season’s accolades, Ultiword named Jacques Nissen ’24 the D-I Men’s Frisbee Player of the Year and Brown’s staff Jake Smart, Jonathan Stout and Nate Taylor as D-I Men’s Coaches of the Year.

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Women’s rugby repeats as CRC Rugby 7’s Champions For the second consecutive spring, the women’s rugby team emerged victorious from the Collegiate Rugby Championships. After defeating the University of Minnesota, West Chester University and the United States Naval Academy — outscoring those opponents 102-10 — the Bears rematched in the Championship with the United States Military Academy, earning a defense-dominant 12-5 victory.

With back-to-back national titles under their belt, Brown rugby has cemented itself as the team to beat entering the 2025 Rugby 7s season.

JUL

Sailing receives second Fowle Trophy For only the second time in program history, Brown sailing was awarded the Leonard M. Fowle Memorial Trophy — given by the Intercollegiate Sailing Association to the nation’s best team according to a combination of various race results — for their performance in the 2023-2024 season.

The Bears placed in the top five in five out of seven National Championships during the season.

Bruno’s received their only other Fowle Trophy in 1991, when they became the first Ivy League team to win the award since its creation in 1972

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BMo caps phenomenal season with fourth National Championship Proving once again why they’re consid-

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Men’s basketball’s magic run to Ivy Madness Though they came up one point shy of clinching a March Madness berth, falling to Yale 62-61 on a brutal buzzer-beater, it can be easy to forget just how much earlier the 2024 men’s basketball team’s season could have ended. After opening the season 6-17, the Bears went on an exhilarating six-game win streak to steal the last spot in the Ivy Playoff Tournament. As undeniable underdogs, the Bears rode their late-season momentum to a stunning 90-81 semifinal upset of top-seeded Princeton and held a 60-54 lead over the Bulldogs with just 27 seconds to play in the Ivy Championship before finally running out of magic.

Even as their Cinderella story was ultimately left without a happy ending, the team provided one of the most memorable rides in recent Brown history — and with just one last stop, they could have brought Brown back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 38 years.

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As another year of championship celebrations, historic achievements and clutch performances comes to a close, The Herald looks back on 10 of Brown Athletics’ most memorable moments from 2024.

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BY LINUS LAWRENCE SPORTS EDITOR

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accolade earned or even a game decided. It occurred in a matter of mere milliseconds, when first-year Margot Norehad ’27 — with the game tied at 1-1 in the third period — pulled off the extraordinary “Michigan” goal, in which a player slides behind the net, scoops the puck onto their stick and deposits it past the goalie into the net.

Since Mike Legg of the University of Michigan made the move famous in 1996, fewer than 10 NHL players and only one woman before Norehad had executed it on record. The remarkable play earned Norehad the No. 1 spot that day on SportsCenter’s Top 10.

AN

Squash claims second-straight club championship Competing in the club nationals for the second time after being demoted from varsity status, the co-ed squash team earned its second consecutive national championship.

The team dominated their opponents, crushing both Boston University and the University of Pennsylvania by finals of 9-0 and beating University of Chicago in the championship 8-1.

As time continues to elapse since their recruitment of varsity players concluded, the team will look to maintain their dominance over the club championships in the coming years.

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Friday, December 6, 2024

APR 14 — VOL 31 — ISSUE 9

See Full Issue: ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH

DEC 6 — VOL 34 — ISSUE 11

I have an invitation for you, to whom I am so grateful that Dear readers,

you have chosen to spend your time and your attention on

I have a confession to make. Unlike all of the other 12 editor’s

us, to cherish the stories we have this week. In Feature, Nahye

notes that I’ve written under duress of time, hunkered down in the

unpacks the privilege and alienation of being bilingual. Narrative

corner of our charming little production room, I am writing this

is stretching the limits of time, from one lightning quick Eras

final one—lucky number 13—ahead of schedule from the comfort

tour trip up north in Sarah’s piece to one century well-lived and

of my beloved School of Engineering Café. I spend a lot of my time

-loved in Ana’s story about her grandmother. Our Arts & Culture

here, amongst the crossfire of conversation that has frequently

for the week has us looking at the delight of Wicked’s press tour

graced our “Overheard at Brown,” surrounded by parasocial

and the comfort of The Real Housewives with Ann and Sofie’s

acquaintances with whom I’ve lived my entire college experience,

pieces respectively. Meanwhile, Lifestyle writers Reina and

and, when I’m lucky, shared with my closest friends. Today I

Katherine are looking local, with the former learning to love our

chose here, my second favorite student hub on campus, so I could

little Providence, and the latter turning her house into a home

cherish every last moment I have in my first.

with seasonal decorations. For a game this week, we’ve assembled

Tonight, I’ll gather for the last time with some of the most

the dream team—AJ, Lily, Will, Ishan, and Tabitha—to create our

compassionate, loving, hilarious, brilliant people you’ll ever get the

second ever full-sized crossword! All hands on deck for our last

good fortune to meet, and we’ll polish up this final edition of post-

issue, as we also have tiny love stories from Faith, Mason, Camryn,

for the semester. There will be a cornucopia of snacks, and a mushy

Elysee, and Olivia in post-pourri as well as Tarini’s reflections on

icebreaker, and a few top ten candidates that we’ll inevitably need

her classroom doodling. There’s a lot to love this week, so take

to cut. Undoubtedly, I’ll queue Silk Chiffon, and These Walls, and

your time with it—hold it tight, hold it close.

Buddy’s Rendezvous, those songs that will forever live in the post-

And now, to finish this final editor’s note that, honestly, I

corner of my heart. We’ll rehash some memories of ghostwriting,

started writing before I even wrote my first. See, way back in

and last minute collages, and homemade chai, and dogs eating

December of my first semester, my first editor-in-chief—Olivia

homework. I admit that there have been weeks over the past

Howe, our whimsical, warm, wonderfully-wacky leader—coined

four years that I’ve wanted nothing more than to speed out of

the term “post- ghost” in her farewell to this magazine. This was

this room as quickly as I can, get to Jo’s before they stop making

the first in my eternal canon of magical post- goodbyes, followed

panini’s, finish up that assignment before midnight, race over to

by Kyoko, and Siena, and Aditi, and Kimberly, and too many of

my next extracurricular. Tonight, I’ll take my time.

our brilliant writers who have bared their hearts and opened their souls for this magazine. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with

See Full Issue:

ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH

this inevitable parting piece, so much so that I have started six, yes six, separate Notes pages all titled “post- endings,” filled with disjointed sentences about the endearing charms and quirks of this sweet, sweet group of writers and editors and readers and illustrators and designers. How to capture my unbounded love for all these people, for telling their stories, for carving pumpkins and hanging trinkets on the wall and oversharing and coming together because we agree how important and powerful and beautiful this all is? The past three and a bit years have gifted me this family for which I will never have the words to fully express my adoration and appreciation. All I can say is thank you.

Signing off,

Joe Maffa Editor-In-Chief

Untying My Tongue Nahye Lee Let's Talk About the Husband Sofie Zeruto

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24 Hours in Toronto Sarah Frank

A Century Well Loved Ana Vissicchio

"Holding Space” for TikTok's Wicked Memes Ann Golpira

The Beauty of Familiarity Reina Jo

Transience and Permanence Katherine Mao

There'd Better be a Mirrorball Tarini Malhotra

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MOTHERS 1. Joe Mama 2. Joe Maffa 3. Dance 4. Other 5. MILF 6. of God 7. Stacy’s 8. Alex Consani 9. Beyoncé 10. Earth

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Section EdSOCIAL MEDIA Ben Herdeg Emily Tom Joe Maffa itors Managing Zoe Park Gabi Yuan Editor Daphne Cao FEATURE Chelsea Long Tabitha GranIndigo MudManaging dolfo bhary Editor LIFESTYLE Klara DavidManaging Section Editors Ishan Khurana Katherine Mao son-Schmich Editor Alex Hay Eleanor Dushin Tabitha Lynn Section Editors LAYOUT CHIEF Sofie Zeruto Evan Gardner Daphne Cao Section EdGray Martens Isadora MarElaina Bayard itors Daniella Coyle Layout Design- quez Sydney Pearson ARTS & CULHallel Abrams ers Ayoola FadaTURE Gerber Amber Zhao hunsi Managing Alexa Gay Editor HEAD ILLUSRomilly Thom- Samira Lakhiani Elijah Puente TRATORS son Ellyse Givens Junyue Ma Section Editors Kaitlyn Stanton STAFF WRITERS CROSSWORD Emily Tom Nina Lidar AJ Wu AJ Wu COPY CHIEF Sarah Frank Ishan Khurana Emilie Guan Pooja Kalyan Will Hassett NARRATIVE Ana Vissicchio Lily Coffman Managing Copy Editors Gabi Yuan Editor Indigo MudLynn Nguyen Katheryne hbary Gonzalez Shaliz Bazldjoo Want to be involved?

Email: joseph_maffa@brown.edu!

Dec 6, 2024

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Friday, December 6, 2024

UNIVERSITY NEWS ADMINISTRATION

After appointing provost, more AI initiatives are coming to Brown Council members raised questions on AI policies in coursework

BY ELENA JIANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Brown University Community Council — composed of students, alumni, faculty, staff and University administration — convened for their last fall meeting to discuss the University’s artificial intelligence initiatives on Wednesday.

Provost Francis Doyle outlined Brown’s approach to AI as “knowing, enhancing, protecting and creating.” Michael Littman, a professor of computer science, was recently named the inaugural Associate Provost for Artificial Intelligence, The Herald previously reported.

“We are focused on four key problem spaces that weave together different transdisciplinary efforts already underway at Brown, and where Brown has unique strengths to address complex issues of enormous societal relevance and concern,” Doyle said.

Doyle added that there is a “tremendous momentum” at the University, with more than 70 faculty pursuing AI-related grants over the last five years.

He said that existing efforts to incorporate AI into Brown’s curriculum include establishing AI in the master’s and doctoral programs under the Division of Biology and Medicine, offering AI certificates and launching an online program in “AI governance and ethics.”

Doyle also introduced the idea of an

KAIA YALAMANCHILI / HERALD

Regarding the use of AI in classroom settings, Provost Francis Doyle said that “it’s at the discretion of the instructors on how to best use AI.” AI sandbox — “a way of building a firewall” where there is a safe environment for data entered into AI systems.

The University is negotiating with “a couple of big companies” to “set up a prototype,” which will enable Brown to “have control of our data and a secure handling of information,” Doyle said.

This will allow professors to build sandboxes around their teaching material, consolidating specially designed AIs for the course’s topic, he added.

Regarding the use of AI in classroom settings, Doyle said that “it’s at the discretion of the instructors on how to best

use AI.” He also mentioned “Conversations on AI and our Data-Driven Society,” a lecture series hosted by the Office of the Provost and the Data Science Institute, where instructors learned “the capabilities of these (AI) tools.”

During one lecture, he took a poll of the various subject areas represented by the faculty in his audience, which spanned the humanities, life sciences and engineering. “It was almost equally divided,” Doyle said.

Looking ahead, Doyle aims to take an approach that transcends academic

disciplines and utilizes Brown’s “remarkable collection of experts” in various fields. “We don’t need to learn how to cross those boundaries,” he said. “It’s in our DNA.” In the Q&A session with council members, the discussion moved to the issue of implementing guidelines for students using AI in coursework. Multiple members raised concerns regarding the inconsistent definitions of appropriate AI use across courses, suggesting the need for more uniform guidance from the University.

“The burden falls on TAs and profes-

sors to decide what is cheating and what is a code violation,” said Council member Cal Manuzza ’23 MA’24, who currently works at the School of Public Health.

Council member Ainsley LeSure, an assistant professor of political science and Africana studies, acknowledged that professors should be given room to decide their policies, but noted that although “professors have authority, they are not operating in a vacuum.” Different professors may have different policies, LeSure said.

Doyle agreed and reiterated that the University is committed to embedding the feedback “in the teaching mission in a way that is equitable, that is fair and that is appropriate for knowledge acquisition.”

Also at the meeting, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 provided updates on other campus initiatives.

She celebrated the “skyrocketing” growth of users on BrownConnect+, an alumni networking and mentoring platform launched this fall.

She also summarized the opening of new campus spaces — a renovated Andrews House for the Cogut Institute for the Humanities and the expanded Office of Military-Affiliated Students located in Alumnae Hall. She also introduced a series of admissions initiatives aimed at fostering diversity in recruitment, a key issue after the decrease in racial diversity in the class of 2028.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 4, 2024.

ADMISSIONS

No, Brown’s pre-college doesn’t help students get in as undergraduates Instead, the programs aim to give students a glimpse into college life

BY ROMA SHAH CONTRIBUTUNG EDITOR Every summer, high school students from across the globe make their way to Brown for its annual pre-college programs.

Ranging from one to six weeks long, the programs give attendees a glimpse of undergraduate college life.

Despite the common misconception that Brown’s pre-college programs give an advantage to students when applying to the University’s undergraduate programs, Brown says it does not.

In an email to The Herald, University Spokesperson Brian Clark emphasized that “Brown’s admissions office does not receive the names of pre-college participants, does not track these students during the application process and has no information on their admissions outcomes.”

Rather, the pre-college programs are meant to prepare students for future college life, according to Adrienne Marcus, the dean of the pre-college and undergraduate programs. She hopes that it will serve as “an opportunity to investigate areas of study without the pressure of grades or credit,” she said in an email to The Herald.

Marcus said the application process is intended to mimic a typical college application. It includes “submission of biographical information, a short

essay from a provided prompt, a transcript and, for some, a recommendation letter.”

The pre-college programs cost between $3,000 to $17,000, depending on the location and duration of the specific program and whether it is in-person or virtual.

Marcus told The Herald that “while we enroll students from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds, the number of pre-college students who receive scholarships is far lower than the undergraduate population.”

This

is because “one factor in the work of pre-college is to generate revenue for the University as it supports degree students at Brown,” she said.

That being said, every student admitted from the local Providence Public School District receives a full scholarship that covers “all direct expenses including courses, housing, meals and fees,” according to Marcus.

Of the seven pre-college programs offered, the most popular is Summer@ Brown, through which students enroll in a few of the over 200 non-credit courses in any subject of their choice.

Ana Vissicchio ’26, a post- Magazine writer, attended pre-college while in high school to “get a glimpse into college life” and have “a chance to learn about something new,” she said in a message to The Herald. She already knew that she wanted to apply to the University, but the experience solidified her decision.

Vissicchio told The Herald that “before going, I definitely thought that pre-college would give me a leg up when I was applying to Brown,” but now knows that it has no impact on applications.

Despite that, she looks back on her time at pre-college fondly and says it helped with personal development and college preparation. “You’re living on a college campus and taking college classes for a month straight,” she said.

“I think that’s plenty of time to get a taste of college life and how you’ll live when you’re on your own.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2024.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 11

Rahman ’26: Brown has a liberal problem

OPINIONS

On Nov. 6, I, like many of my classmates, woke up disappointed by the results of the U.S. election. As a lifelong liberal, I thought the choice was clear — a prosecutor over a felon. But I was not surprised that

our diverse nation. According to The Herald’s most recent first-year poll, 42% of Brown firstyears hail from just four liberal strongholds: California, New York, Massachusetts and New

are particularly good ones, they represent the beliefs of 76 million Americans and deserve serious engagement. At Brown, given the overwhelmingly liberal atmosphere, I’ve encountered

League institutions. Yet I fear the polarization that comes from separation will deepen gridlock as we fail to learn how to engage with one another. This is an existential threat not only to

so many of my fellow Americans turned to Trump.

I grew up, in part, in rural and red America.

In Midland County, Michigan and Benton County, Arkansas, where I grew up, Trump won by 15 and 27 points, respectively. These are places where people know their neighbors, communities are stable, and there is a real distrust of outsiders. Like many of these communities, their priorities lie not in the civil rights struggles of the left, but in keeping the American dream alive.

These struggles are well documented by my peers at Brown. Yet for many classmates, 91% of whom said they plan to vote for Vice President Harris, the reasons someone could find themselves voting for Trump seem further removed than ever. At the 24Cast election watch party, whenever Trump’s face would appear on screen, the crowd responded with a loud boo (and I must admit, I participated). In hindsight, this was unproductive. The day after the election, I saw other classmates posting to their Instagram stories that Trump supporters who follow them should remove themselves. This, too, was unproductive.

As an Ivy League institution, Brown plays a special role in educating the next generation of American leaders. However, I worry that a lack of ideological and geographic representation stands in the way of preparing graduates to lead

Jersey. Only 10% of students come from rural areas, and only 6% identify as conservative. Furthermore, at Brown, more students come from

little debate on some of the fundamental issues that dominated this year’s election, such as immigration and the economy. This is deeply dis-

conservatism, which in recent years has become detached from its intellectual roots, but also to liberalism, whose thought leaders face little pushback for the increasingly far-reaching proposals they put forward.

As an institution, it is imperative that Brown do more to attract and preserve ideological diversity. This includes outreach to students in rural and red states, inviting controversial speakers, recruiting conservative faculty and, most importantly, creating a campus where students feel safe to discuss unorthodox ideas without fear and with dignity.

We all benefit from dialogue and challenge, whether it be from faculty, peers or speakers.

Without it, we risk becoming echo chambers for our own biases — unaware of, or worse, dismissive of, the concerns that shape the lives of millions of Americans outside our campus bubble.

Trump will be our next President. As students, liberal or conservative, our job must not only be to complain but to understand the politics that drove us to our present moment. This begins with ideological and geographic diversity.

“

I worry that a lack of ideological and geographic representation stands in the way of preparing graduates to lead our diverse nation.

“

the top 1% of the income distribution than the bottom 60%.

Much of these disparities can be attributed to the fact that highly educated families, who tend to be more liberal, wealthy and urban, have the resources to provide the quality primary and secondary education necessary to get into Brown. But it furthers the perception of Brown as a bastion of elitism — yes, liberal elitism — that tarnishes the credibility and ability of a Brunonian to engage with our nation’s polity.

Regardless of whether I think Trump’s ideas

appointing to me as someone whose formative political experiences came from debating my conservative peers in high school.

Some, such as Princeton political scholar Lauren Wright, argue that the liberalism of elite colleges fosters intellectual vitality among conservative students who often find themselves needing to justify their own beliefs. I am not convinced this is the case. Rather than engaging in classes, conservatives at Brown, by virtue of their small numbers, have instead become silent.

The road to Washington often begins at Ivy

Ricks '27: The left must embrace Progressivism if it wants to save democracy When Kamala Harris lost the presidential election in early November, many different theories emerged to explain why. The campaign was criticized for not doing enough to distance itself from the Biden administration, appeal to the working class or ease voters’ concerns about inflation.

However, one of the most overlooked factors in Harris’s defeat was her hesitance to embrace the progressive policies she defended for most of her career. Although campaigning on left-leaning policies runs the risk of alienating voters on the right, Democrats cannot succumb to the fear of this prospect. Rather, they must unapologetically champion progressivism to mobilize their base and

cans are attacking every liberal and progressive policy. Medicare for All, a policy that would ensure that every American has adequate healthcare, has been cast as a socialist overhaul of the American healthcare system. The Green New Deal, an expansive economic plan that tackles both inequality and climate change, has been painted as an attack on middle-class laborers.

In an effort to appeal to moderates who were susceptible to the right’s messaging, the Harris campaign shifted center. For example, in 2020, she supported a complete ban on fracking. In 2024, however, she no longer supported the ban. In 2017, Harris vowed to block funding for the border wall,

“

Even in the face of unprecedented threats to democracy, the fight for progressive values must continue.

“ combat the impending threats to democracy.

Since 2020, the Trump campaign has falsely accused Democrats of being radical socialists and communists. Policies like tuition-free community college and abortion access have come under attack as Republicans claim they are part of a broader far-left communist agenda. Just last week, President-elect Trump taunted “radical left lunatics” who he claimed “worked so hard to destroy our country.”

This isn’t new to American politics. Since the 1920s, the country has seen several Red Scares, waves of mass hysteria over the supposed rise of communism or socialism. Trump and his allies have reignited this phenomenon with renewed fervor. Instead of pointing to the rise of communism in the East or among Hollywood elites, Republi-

yet as a presidential nominee, she promised to bring back a bipartisan bill that included funding for the wall. As a senator, she backed Medicare for All, but mentions of the policy were notably absent from her presidential campaign. Harris’s attempt to win moderate votes led to inconsistent back and forth on her policy stances. As a progressive myself, this was both frustrating and disheartening.

There is also a great irony in the Democrats’ shift to the center. Every time the Harris campaign acquiesced to the right’s fear-mongering, they gave credence to the claim that progressive policies are dangerous and communistic. True progressivism is bold and assertive. It does not bend to the demands of the status quo. Rather it challenges it vehemently and works toward a politic that centers the working class and the disenfranchised. If

Democrats worked to educate Americans about the benefits of real progressive policies instead of shying away from them, then Harris might have had a fighting chance in swing states like Pennsylvania and Georgia.

Some might argue that if Democratic candidates boldly champion progressive policies, they will lose their chance of receiving a vote from moderate and right-leaning citizens. However, when Democrats try to appeal to everyone by watering down their ambitious policies, they in turn alienate their own base. Trying to reconcile such polarized viewpoints is futile, weakening the resolve of the party and compromising its vision.

The failure of the Harris campaign showed us that conciliatory politics just don’t work.

Republicans waged their bets on fear and misinformation, and they won. Progressive policies have been strategically vilified in a PR campaign that values fear over facts. Now, as a result, we are facing a future of right-wing extremism. Republicans have made it clear that they want to increase the President’s power and authority over the federal government by bringing independent agencies under his direct jurisdiction and targeting his critics with legal and military power. And there is little in his way.

Even in the face of unprecedented threats to democracy, the fight for progressive values must continue. We must remember that pillars of our social and economic fabric like Social Security, Medicare and minimum wage laws were all progressive policies championed by ardent lawmakers who had a vision for a more equal United States.

As a result, the quality of life for millions of Americans improved. Moving forward, democrats must courageously embrace these policies and trust that campaigning on the strong values of progressivism will pay off in the long run.

Kendall Ricks ’27 can be reached at kendall_ricks@brown. edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@ browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@ browndailyherald.com.

Tas Rahman ’26 can be reached at tasawwar_rahman@brown.edu. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

WEB EXCLUSIVES

Aizenberg ’26: Are Brown dining halls too good?

Radziner ’24: Still In Progress

READ IT ONLINE BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

PAGE 12

Friday, December 6, 2024

ARTS & CULTURE REVIEW

‘Gladiator II’ is an entertaining watch despite letdown from original Despite star-studded cast, sequel fails to pack emotional punch

BY GABRIELLA WRIGHTEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER Within minutes, the plot of ‘Gladiator II” is clear to those who remember the film’s prequel, or are familiar with the action genre.

Much like its predecessor, “Gladiator II” foregrounds its intense battles with an emotional backstory, hoping that audiences become invested in the hero’s journey.

Yet, unlike Ridley Scott’s 2000 film “Gladiator,” the sequel’s emotional backstory falls flat, ensuring that the sequel’s titular gladiator battles will be unsuccessful in leaving viewers wanting more.

“Gladiator” follows Maximus (Russell Crowe), a Roman general exiled and sold into slavery to fight as a gladiator.

Maximus fights for what they call “the dream of Rome” — to restore the city to a republic ruled by the Senate and free from its corrupt emperors. During his exile, Maximus’s wife and son are killed — plot points that contribute to Maximus’s solemn, yet passionate character. Scott deftly illustrates the hero archetype, and Maximus’s battles are loaded with tension and meaning. Each one serves a greater

COURTESY OF PARAMOUNT PICTURES

From the most grandiose events — like sharks swimming in a water-filled colosseum — to the up-close one-on-one battles, the visuals match the epic scale that the “Gladiator” franchise requires. purpose, both for the fictional Roman Empire and for viewers’ experiences.

Though also directed by Scott, “Gladiator II” fails to deliver the same impactful emotion. The film jumps nearly two decades to follow Lucius (Paul Mescal), who is also taken as a slave to serve as a gladiator. At first, the dedication to the original narrative is forgivable, if not understandable. Lucius faces nearly identical tragic circumstances as Maximus, but they serve to set up the film’s gladiator-focused

plot. As the film goes on, however, its storylines grow increasingly predictable and uninspired, with nearly all of them having happened to Maximus in the prequel. Scott seems to think that because past audiences connected with Maximus, new ones will simply do the same with Lucius. The result is an underbaked plot that lacks any new emotional context.

Admittedly, “Gladiator II”’s action sequences are visually stunning. From the most grandiose events — like sharks

swimming in a water-filled colosseum — to the up-close one-on-one battles, the visuals match the epic scale that the “Gladiator” franchise requires. No matter the size of the battle, actors Paul Mescal and Denzel Washington inspire most of the film’s energy and awe. Mescal evokes enough of Crowe’s stoicism to continue his legacy but also infuses the right amount of anger and vengeance to make his own performance — not necessarily Lucius’s character — memorable. With

Washington’s electric performance as a conniving slave owner to match, the pair is a bright light within the film’s otherwise uninspired storyline.

Aside from Mescal and Washington, the star-studded cast largely delivers exciting performances. Joseph Quinn masterfully captures the spirit of the overpowered, overzealous Emperor Geta.

Pedro Pascal’s worn-out General Acacius inspires sympathy and sadness in an otherwise chaotic environment. Smaller side characters shape the world around Lucius, somewhat developing the atmospheric tension that primes us for the intensifying action. Yet, at times, they detract from the focus — Lucius and the fate of Rome — ultimately leaving all the characters largely underdeveloped and the audience simply waiting for the violence and action.

It is difficult for a decades-delayed sequel to live up to its Oscar-winning prequel.

Reviewing “Gladiator II” on its own, the film’s action and scale are impressive. Scott stays true to his original story and editing style, artfully weaving in a few flashbacks and evoking a bit of nostalgia in long-time fans. Actors in all career stages deliver engaging and thoughtful performances, making the film worth seeing on the big screen. Despite its narrative shortcomings, “Gladiator II” is an exciting, thrilling watch.

In Maximus’s famous words, maybe you’ll even be entertained.

EVENT

Vietnamese artist Xuân-Lam Nguyen blends tradition and contemporary art Nguyen discussed remaking folk paintings, histories, cultures in art

BY ELENA JIANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER On Monday, Vietnamese artist Xuân-Lam Nguyen spoke about his background and craft in a talk titled “From Folk to Future: Crafting New Histories and Identity.”

The event was part of the Vietnamese Program Guest Speaker Series, organized by Visiting Lecturer in Vietnamese Trang Tran to foster community and bring new perspectives to the Vietnamese language program.

To a room of students, many of whom knew one another through Vietnamese class, Nguyen explained the history of folk paintings in Vietnam and his contemporary approach to reenvisioning artistic traditions.

A Fulbright scholar and a second-year Master of Fine Arts candidate in painting at the Rhode Island School of Design, Nguyen described his approach to art as “a combination of an archeologist and a DJ.” “The idea is to combine something that has a very long history with something very contemporary,” he said.

Nguyen began his artistic journey by remaking the folk paintings he would see around his grandmother’s house, a form of traditional Vietnamese art.

“This is an artist making the world, and this is my version,” he said. Behind him, the slide showed two rooster paintings side by side: his archival inspiration and his own recreation. His rendition of the animal featured detailed sketching and vibrant gradients while preserving the shape and colors of the original.

Rather than changing the composition or subject of the paintings, he

wanted to interpret them in his own way. He did so by combining physical drawings and digital interventions.

Nguyen has also experimented with sculpture work. This experimentation evolved into a public installation “inspired by a Hàng TrEng folk painting of the lion dance,” located on the edge of the Hoan Kiem district in Hanoi, a low-income area.

The installation consists of life-sized children frozen in celebration, mirroring the traditional Vietnamese toy figurines tò he.

His goal was to “bring color, art and humor to this neglected area, uplifting people who may never have the chance to visit a gallery or museum,” he explained.

Throughout the talk, Nguyen introduced many of his pieces, walking through diverse sources of inspiration, from eighth-to-ninth-century square tiles to modern architecture. While explaining the creative processes for his more recent work, Nguyen said he was “obsessed with the past.”

“I was looking at a lot of colonial photographs,” he said, pointing to one of his acrylic paintings titled “Huh?” It was inspired by photos “taken during the French colonial period and were used as postcards to promote the idea of an exotic Far East, justifying colonial ambitions,” he wrote in an email to The Herald.

His piece depicts a woman posing for a photograph, her body saturated in shades of pink and yellow, a clear departure from the somber mood of the original black-and-white photo. A set of squares sprinkled throughout the painting give the impression of discolored pixels.

This year, Nguyen was commissioned by the French government to make an installation celebrating the “inaugura-

ELENA JIANG / HERALD

Nguyen began his artistic journey by remaking the folk paintings he would see around his grandmother’s house, a form of traditional Vietnamese art. tion of Hanoi Metro Line 3,” a collaborative effort between the French and Vietnamese governments. “The idea is to connect two cultures,” he said.

“Because I was in Providence over the summer, I could not fly back. So I made this by video-calling my team every day,” he added.

The talk came to a close as he played a video documenting the behind-thescenes of the project, which featured a montage of his team creating and assembling its various parts. Together, they form a model of a nine-feet tall tram, complete with windows, a staircase and elaborate floral and animal patterns.

Quynh Mai ’25, a student in Tran’s class who introduced Nguyen, said that she came to the talk because of her background as a performance artist and her

Vietnamese heritage.

“I have a lot of Vietnamese art up in my home,” she said. “Growing up and seeing all of it in my family’s house in Vietnam and also my house here, I didn’t realize the history behind it.”

“We are happy to continue to support the students by showing more of Vietnam to the world, and helping (them) understand their heritage and identity,” Tran said in an interview with The Herald.

Noa Ironic, Nguyen’s classmate in the MFA program, said that his work is “very inspiring.”

“I really admire how Lam is able to navigate the ancient and bring it into the contemporary,” she said. “And he’s the most thorough person I know … He thinks about the painting for anoth-

er two months before he even starts painting it.”

In the Q&A session of the event, an audience member asked Nguyen about his plans after RISD. “The plan is to return to Vietnam for a few years because it’s such a huge privilege to be here in the first place,” he said. “But it’s a long-term goal to return here and to become an artist.

Another audience member asked Nguyen if he always knew he wanted to pursue visual art.

“Yes, since I was three or four,” he said. “I’ve never thought about doing anything else.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2024.

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 13

The Herald's 2024 most memorable...

ARTS & CULTURE

... pop culture moments

... albums

... movies

BY ISABEL HAHN ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR

BY CAMPBELL LOI AND MANAV MUSUNURU SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

BY GABRIELLA WRIGHTEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Moo Deng vs. Pesto Cute baby animals going viral has been a staple occurrence ever since the dawn of the internet; except this year, the biggest celebrities of the animal kingdom have been a little more unexpected. Moo Deng, a sassy baby pygmy hippo from Khao Kheow Zoo in Thailand and Pesto, an exceptionally large king penguin chick hailing from Melbourne Aquarium in Australia, both charmed users all over the globe with their eccentric appearances and entertaining personalities.

Memes and videos of the animals rapidly circulated across TikTok in particular, with some people even starting friendly popularity competitions between the two. Even as Moo Deng and Pesto grow older, it’s safe to say that their cuteness will stay with fans for a long time.

eternal sunshine Ariana Grande certainly had a whirlwind year, facing heavy criticism online and being labeled a “homewrecker” in the fallout of her messy divorce. On “eternal sunshine,” released on March 8, Grande unapologetically speaks her truth about the situation, taking listeners through her painful experience with heartbreak and the excitement of her new relationship that followed. Her first release since “Positions” in October 2020, the album explores new sonic territories while remaining true to Grande’s roots and the classic R&B sound her fans have come to know and love.

Deadpool & Wolverine Largely since the release of “Avengers: Endgame” in 2019, Marvel fans have been suffering from a string of sub-par films, forced TV shows, and generally underwhelming energy from the franchise. “Deadpool & Wolverine” proved to be the remedy. For the first time in years, fans flocked to the theater on opening night, dressing up in coordinating outfits with their best friends well throughout the end of summer.

As the first R-rated feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the film shattered over a dozen box office records, grossing over a billion dollars worldwide. Did Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman save the MCU? Signs point to yes, but time will tell.

The Tortured Poet’s Department Raking in almost $2 billion, The Eras Tour — set to conclude in Vancouver on Sunday — is the highest-grossing tour of all time and secured Taylor Swift’s spot in music’s Hall of Fame. In the midst of the tour, Swift released her eleventh album “The Tortured Poet’s Department.” With a whopping runtime of over two hours when combined with “The Anthology,” the album details Swift’s breakup with longtime boyfriend Joe Alwyn, her subsequent relationship with Matty Healy, and her new romance with Travis Kelce. Upon release, the album broke numerous records on Billboard and streaming platforms and showcased just how big of a cultural force Swift is.

Wicked Speaking of matching best friend costumes, it was hard to get through November without seeing pink and green Glinda and Elphaba outfits at every turn. Before its release, both movie and musical lovers were concerned about nearly every aspect of the musical adaptation.

After, though, critics were converted into fans. With powerhouse performances from both Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, the film has inspired millions of lighthearted jokes, serious analyses, and renditions of the iconic belt in “Defying Gravity.” At this point, the biggest criticism is the year-long wait for Part Two.

COURTESY OF WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

Brat Summer When pop artist Charli XCX released her sixth studio album “BRAT” in June, she not only added to her discography but incited an aesthetic and cultural wave that made an impression beyond the digital world.

Fans and new listeners alike were quick to embrace the feminine confidence and carefree party lifestyle endorsed by “BRAT,” and memes, fashion trends, and references to the album’s lyrics and lime green cover could be found in every corner of the internet. Famously, the effects of Brat Summer even extended to the 2024 US presidential election, with Vice President Kamala Harris using the album in her campaign to appeal to younger voters. Regardless of one’s opinion on “BRAT,” it’s difficult to deny the cultural impact it had this year, exemplifying popular music’s growing influence in the modern age.

Cowboy Carter With her foray into the realm of country music, Beyoncé affirmed that no genre is off limits to her and reminded her critics where the true roots of country music lie with “Cowboy Carter.” Joined by popstars, country music icons, and newcomers, the artist pays homage to the Black musicians who laid the foundation for modern-day country music while weaving together the story of her life with an exploration of her family history across the album’s 27 tracks.

Although it was snubbed at the Country Music Association Awards, the album garnered an impressive 11 nominations at the upcoming Grammy with the opportunity to give Beyoncé her first ever Album of the Year award.

Hit Me Hard and Soft

The Rise of Celebrity Look-alike Contests What started off as a lighthearted advertisement for a New York City Timothée Chalamet look-alike contest in October has quickly snowballed into a slew of other impromptu celebrity look-alike contests across the country. Notable names that have inspired such contests include Jeremy Allen White, Zayn Malik and even the infamous tennis throuple from the popular 2024 film “Challengers,” portrayed by Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist. The allure of these celebrity look-alike contests may be puzzling, but it’s also clear that such events have been able to provide numerous cities with community-bonding fun. Whether the winners of such contests deserved their titles has been a topic of debate, but nevertheless, viewers certainly enjoyed being able to witness the neighborhood versions of their favorite celebrity crushes.

Kendrick vs. Drake Rap listener or not, it was almost impossible to miss Kendrick Lamar and Drake’s back-and-forth feud back in spring. Over the course of a couple days, both rappers released a series of diss tracks against the other, full of exposing remarks and memorable insults. Although there had been tension between the two for over a decade, Lamar’s single “Like That” — responding to J. Cole deeming the big three of rap himself, Lamar, and Drake — ignited the flame for the beef to ensue. Drake quickly responded with the songs “Push Ups” and “Taylor Made Freestyle,” continuing a chain of released tracks that continued into May. Lamar’s “Not Like Us” is widely considered to have marked his dramatic victory. A mini war with a staggering repertoire of diss tracks, Lamar and Drake’s feud is sure to be remembered by fans and casual listeners alike.

Wicked PR It seemed that there wasn’t a single moviegoer who wasn’t “holding space” for “Wicked” this fall. On top of the musical source for the movie having a cult fanbase itself, various moments from the promotional campaign for “Wicked” were inarguably entertaining and sometimes even bizarre. From initial dating rumors between co-stars Ariana Grande and Ethan Slater to multiple interviews where Grande and lead Cynthia Erivo were brought to emotional tears, it seemed that much of the buzz around the movie defied not only gravity, but also logic. Head-scratching PR aside, “Wicked” was a hit at the box office, pleasing lovers of the classic musical with a moving and visually stunning adaptation.

After winning an Oscar for “What Was I Made For?,” Billie Eilish followed up that success in May with her third album “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” Throughout the album’s 10 tracks, Eilish recounts tales of past heartbreaks, new love, and personal struggle. A display of stunning vocals and beautiful songwriting, this musical masterpiece produced by Finneas solidifies Eilish’s transition from an industry newcomer to one of the 21st century’s greatest talents.

BRAT Charli xcx’s album “BRAT” was effectively inescapable in the media shortly following its June 7 release, with its songs and signature lime green cover inspiring TikTok dances, marketing campaigns and fashion trends in a phenomenon that fans dubbed “BRAT Summer.”

And it didn’t stop there either: Charli xcx released additional tracks on a deluxe album — aptly titled “Brat and it’s the same but there’s three more songs so it’s not” — and most recently a remix album completely reimagining all 17 songs. It’s truly remarkable how tightly “BRAT” has gripped pop culture, pushing back against the “clean girl” aesthetic in an epic ode to the messy modern party girl.

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Dune: Part Two 2024 was a year of sequels. “Inside Out 2,” “Joker: Folie a Deux,” “Venom: The Last Dance” — the list goes on. Many of them were duds — forced conclusions or revivals of franchises that should have been left alone. “Dune: Part Two,” however, ranks among the best.

The film continues the story of Paul Atreides (masterfully played

by Timothee Chalamet) as he essentially becomes a messiah in the desert. Part Two delivers on what made the first film special. The directing, visuals, and storytelling are impeccable, all heightened by transformative performances from the entire cast. In terms of epic viewing experience, Dune Part Two is leaps and bounds beyond the rest.

Challengers While the film didn’t do nearly as well commercially compared to the rest of this list, “Challengers” finally brought Zendaya the powerful lead role in a film she’s been inching towards since 2017.

In addition to providing riveting performances from Mike Faist and Josh O’Connor, the film was a trend starter, delivering a wave of tennis outfits that lasted until Halloween.

Short n’ Sweet “Short n’ Sweet” has cemented Sabrina Carpenter’s status as a pop princess, taking social media by storm with singles “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” dominating the charts and radio all summer. Rising to fame early this year with her catchy melodies and cheeky innuendos going viral online, Carpenter’s sixth studio album is overflowing with her signature earworm hooks and double entendres. Clocking in at just 36 minutes, the album is a testament to Carpenter’s star power — living up to its short and sweet title.

GNX Kendrick Lamar was a force to be reckoned with this year, as his previously playful exchanges with Drake exploded into an all-out battle between the two rappers. Following his massive successes on diss tracks such as the scathing 6-minute “Euphoria” and the five-time Grammy nominated anthem “Not Like Us,” Lamar’s new album, “GNX,” feels like a victory lap. Dropping the project on Nov. 22 just moments after releasing a teaser, fans and critics alike were taken by surprise and reacted with mixed reviews. Lamar has without a doubt taken a seat on the hip-hop throne this year, and with this new album, a tour planned with SZA and a Super Bowl performance on the way, it’s clear that his reign is only beginning.

COURTESY OF AMAZON MGM STUDIOS

Anora While many of this year’s hits thrived on star power and social media buzz, “Anora” was a surprise smash hit — and likely Oscar nominee — from director Sean Baker, who also wrote, produced, and edited the film. Baker is no stranger to indie hits and critically acclaimed features, but “Anora” has brought him into the spotlight, as it has been both popularly and critically declared one of the best films of the year. On top of that, lead actress Mikey Madison gives a star-making performance as the titular Anora, or Ani, as she prefers. “Anora” is heart-wrenching, but easily one of the most inspiring films of 2024.

PAGE 14

Friday, December 6, 2024

YEAR IN REVIEW Brown to reinstate standardized test requirements for undergraduate admission

BY OWEN DAHLKAMP UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

MARCH 5 Brown’s architecture concentration lost its department.

It may be gone for good

BY JULIANNA CHANG UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Brown transitions to need-blind admissions for class of 2029 international students

BY HADLEY CARR SENIOR STAFF WRITER

JANUARY 25 Brown encampment ends, Corp to vote on divestment from Israel in October

BY UNIVERSITY NEWS SECTION EDITORS

APRIL 30

SEPTEMBER 5 Brown Corporation votes to reject divestment resolution

At Brown University, Black freshman enrollment drops 40%

BY TALIA LEVINE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

SEPTEMBER 6

BY CHARLIE CLYNES AND ANIYAH NELSON MANAGING EDITOR AND UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

OCTOBER 9

150 pro-divestment activists protest Brown Corporation over divestment decision

Brown University suspends Students for Justice in Palestine pending investigation

BY UNIVERSITY NEWS SENIOR STAFF WRITERS

OCTOBER 18 Brown students react to Trump victory with dread, fear and self-reflection

BY SAM LEVINE AND SOPHIA WOTMAN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR AND SENIOR STAFF WRITER

BY ELENA JIANG SENIOR STAFF WRITER

OCTOBER 27

NOVEMBER 7

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD

PAGE 15

EDITORS' NOTES Introducing the 135th editorial board The Herald is proud to announce the members of our 135th Editorial Board, which will oversee the paper through its 134th year.

The 135th Editorial Board will be led by Editor-in-Chief and President Tom Li ’26.

Hailing from Pleasanton, California, Li is an economics and international and public affairs concentrator who covers city news for The Herald’s Metro section. In the past, he worked on the copy editing and design teams, beyond writing for the Editorial Page Board.

No matter what coverage came his way, from renewable energy and COVID-19 to community activism, Li led writers through some of The Herald’s most memorable stories. His diligent reporting and kind mentorship have inspired all around him. Li has been an integral part of the organization. So integral, in fact, that some sources have even referred to him as “Herald.”

Ryan Doherty ’26, a chemistry concentrator, will serve as The Herald’s next vice president and managing editor of digital content. This month, he’ll finish his year as an editor for both University news and science and research, as well as a co-lead for the paper’s poll committee.

Doherty, who comes to Brown from Carmel, New York, has written an impressive 110 articles during his time in the newsroom, including a series on tenure at Brown, an exploration of pathways to academia, the history of the Watson Institute, student activism and the proof of a 50-year-old Möbius Strip conjecture. The outlandish quantity of hours he has spent in The Herald’s newsroom is second only to his embarrassingly high screen time on TikTok. Hailing from San Diego, California, Owen Dahlkamp ’26 will lead The Herald’s daily news operations as the next managing editor of the newsroom. A meticulous reporter and exacting editor, Dahlkamp

treats journalism as a science — which is fitting, given his double concentration in cognitive neuroscience and political science and his passion for aviation, data and spreadsheets.

A local of Palo Alto, California, Julianna Chang ’26 possesses the quick judgment and considerable editorial acumen that will allow her to enhance the paper’s production processes as the managing edi-

KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD

Over the past two years, Dahlkamp has authored some of the hardest-hitting stories in University news. His resume includes meticulous investigations into Brown’s admissions practices and preparation for last spring’s pro-Palestinian encampment by the Brown police department. A rapid and reliable reporter, he was crucial to The Herald’s breaking news operations last spring, when he covered student activism on campus, including the encampment and a week-long hunger strike. Dahlkamp has boundless potential to succeed in any occupation he chooses.

Unfortunately, that career of choice is political journalism.

tor of production and development. Chang concentrates in biology and political science and has spent her time at The Herald keeping her finger on the pulse of University trends.

From the discontinuation of the architecture concentration to a behind-thescenes of Brown Concert Agency funding and coverage of a Brown student’s fifthplace finish in Miss America, Chang has a keen vocabulary to pen both the wins and the woes of the Brown community. Dedicated readers know her for her first-class coverage overseeing the academics and advising and student government beats.

On the other hand, her credit card issuer

knows her for her alarming spending habits on salmon bowls from Pokeworks.

Coming from Menlo Park, CA and rounding out the Bay Area triumvirate, English and political science concentrator Anisha Kumar ’26 will steward The Herald’s recruitment, training and social apparatus as the senior editor of community.

While Kumar is allergic to chocolate — her favorite food — she was certainly not allergic to the challenging stories she covered as a university news editor.

From student-staged sit-in, protest, and encampment to students’ reactions to Jonathan Greenblatt’s talk on campus to an interview with President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and the University’s endowment, Kumar tackled important stories with professionalism and dedication.

If you are looking for a more relaxing read, don’t miss Kumar’s reviews on “Love is Blind” and “Slow Horses.”

Yael Wellisch ’26, who arrived at 88 Benevolent St. from Washington, D.C., is a history and international and public affairs concentrator who will serve as senior editor of opinions. She’s ascending to the 135th Editorial Board after assembling an impressive repertoire of columns on the role of consumer activism in the corporate and political arenas, the importance of pre-professional advising and the perils of news on social media.

In joining the Editorial Board, Wellisch will leave behind the many joys (and occasional frustrations) of editing opinion content at The Herald. Instead, she’ll get to experience the constant frustration (and occasional joys) of editing news stories.

The 134th editorial board could not be prouder of these incoming editors. As we hand over the reins, we wish them good luck and good sleep for the hectic year to come. Congratulations, 135.

Editors’ Note: A farewell to 2024 and our time at The Herald When senior year comes along, most students think of the first time they walked through the Van Wickle Gates. But, for us, a different entrance comes to mind — the door to our office at 88 Benevolent St. This year was unprecedented for college journalism and a true test of our staff ’s determination. We covered issues that galvanized discussion around the country and gripped campus life at Brown, including the repercussions of the war in Israel and Palestine on Brown’s campus, the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action and the reactions of young voters to a second Trump presidency.

Our main priority has been to serve the students, faculty, alumni and community members who depend on our coverage to stay informed and keep record of their voices. This year, we focused on making The Herald more digitally friendly by launching a mobile app, expanding our multimedia content and upgrading our headlines.

We are grateful for our staff, who have always found a way to offer one more hour, minute or second to this organization. It has been a privilege to work with such an immensely talented group of people and grow alongside them. Your kindness toward each other and your dedica-

tion to the communities you inform will forever inspire us.

Thank you to our section editors who sustain The Herald’s coverage with their unique expertise and to writers who trust us with their words. Thank you to our tech, data and multimedia staff who created some of our most exciting projects and maintained our critical infrastructure.

Thank you to our social media team for making us seem more fun than we actually are on TikTok. Thank you to our opinions editors and columnists who give voice to Brown’s diverse views and to post- Magazine for your touching creative nonfiction.

Thank you to our business team for keeping us afloat (and for the money). Thank you to our alumni Board of Directors for their patience and guidance.

And last but not least, thank you to our audience for your invaluable support and readership.

The Herald’s 134th editorial board walked out of 88 Benevolent for the last time yesterday, but the place will forever hold a special place in our hearts.

Editors’ notes are written by The Herald’s 134th Editorial Board: Neil Mehta '25, Julia Vaz '25, Charlie Clynes '25, Finn Kirkpatrick '25 and Kathy Wang '25.

KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD

PAGE 16

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Friday, December 6, 2024 UNIVERSITY NEWS

A year after opening, Lindemann Center is still closed off to many student groups The center boasts shiny new venues, but students seldom get access

BY JONATHAN KIM STAFF WRITER When the Lindemann Performing Arts Center held its grand opening in October 2023, the completion of the performance building was met with eager anticipation by students on campus awaiting a new, dynamic performing space.

But over a year later, many students involved in the arts still find themselves on the outside looking in. Some groups said they have yet to rehearse or perform in the much-promoted Lindemann. It’s a shortcoming that staff who oversee the Lindemann have acknowledged and vowed to rectify over the next year.

“We haven’t once had the opportunity to play in the Lindemann, which is sort of absurd,” said Will Hardy ’25, the teaching assistant for the Brown Jazz Band. “It’s crazy to me that we have such an expensive, world-class facility with the Lindemann and that I may graduate having just never played there.”

The Jazz Band, along with Musical Forum and the Wind Symphony, are just some of the performance groups on campus whose members said they have never had the opportunity to rehearse or perform in the Lindemann.

These objections are part of a larger set of criticisms from Brown’s arts groups over the lack of proper on-campus performance spaces, which critics say often lack the adequate stage and audience capacity, along with proper acoustic features.

The students’ complaints are primarily directed toward the University organization responsible for managing the Lindemann: the Brown Arts Institute.

Several students who spoke to The Herald criticized BAI for a lack of transparency about how and when the Lindemann and other BAI-managed spaces are used. Some even expressed doubt that the rehearsal rooms are already booked at each time the groups attempt to reserve them.

BAI representatives told The Herald that the building hosted 18 student group rehearsals per week throughout the fall semester.

Others accused BAI of prioritizing their own interests by holding private events unbeknownst to students.

“BAI seems to be having private events (in the Lindemann) all of the time,” said Bryce Gray ’25, a member of the Musical Forum Board, Ensemble Theatre, Shades of Brown, Brown Band and the Wind Symphony. “It’s rarely ever anything that’s for students specifically or student-run events.”

According to Cristina Barbella ’26, a Jazz Band and Wind Symphony performer, the spaces that her groups can book are not adequately equipped for their performances.

“You would have to jump off the stage and walk in front of the first row of people to get to the solo mic, which is just so unfair to us as performers,” she said. “We’re trying to be professional, but then you give us this space that’s just not meant for us to be there with 20 people on the stage.”

Student performers in the Jazz Band said that access to the Lindemann, which contains a Main Hall that can support a 100-person orchestra and house 530 audience members, could address concerns about limited seating and audience capacity.

Currently, their performers play in Martinos Auditorium or Grant Recital Hall, the latter of which can seat 133 people. But Jazz Band performer Patrick Rourke ’25 says the space is too small to meet the demand for their performances and the Lindemann would offer greater access.

But, according to Rourke, the group hasn’t been informed of why its requests to perform in the Lindemann have been denied. “It’s really disappointing as a student who is so involved in music that I don’t have the chance to perform in a space and I don’t really know why,” Rourke said.

“I thought the Lindemann was going to be a chance for musical groups on campus to have a chance to perform on a bigger stage and get more attention, but it doesn’t seem like that’s happening,” he added.

Thomas Seeger ’27, the BAI liaison for the theater group Musical Forum, acknowledged that while BAI is generally responsive to their group’s concerns, he feels that the University has misjudged their priorities by inviting external performers to use their spaces while leaving the Lindemann inaccessible to its students.

“As I recall from people I’ve talked to around the Music Department, the Lindemann was originally conceived as a space for students to perform and produce various artistic forms,” Seeger said. “In the design and construction process, that sort of got lost.”

The Musical Forum currently performs their musicals at Granoff ’s Fishman Studio, a performance venue that Co-Chair Yaffa Segal ’25 said has limited audience capacity in comparison to the demand of their shows.

While Segal and Seeger said Lindemann is not a perfect theater space, venues like Lindemann or Stuart Theatre, which is run by the Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, would be a big step up from their current venue.

Representatives of BAI acknowledged the student groups’ frustrations and wrote in an email to The Herald that they were committed to increasing transparency and student access to the Lindemann.

“This past year, the BAI focused on bringing internationally acclaimed artists to campus through the IGNITE Series to work alongside our faculty and students in the Lindemann’s Main Hall,” said Sydney Skybetter, BAI’s faculty director and an associate professor of theatre arts and performance studies. “During this next year, the majority of our programming will be campus-based projects and student-led performances.”

“Increasing the accessibility and transparency of BAI spaces is a top priority, and I’m super excited to share more in the months to come,” he added.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Dec. 3, 2024.