Friday, February 7, 2025

THE BROWN DAILY HER ALD

u M e CLX, i SS ue 3

New administrators face uncertain political climate

Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity to be renamed the Office of Diversity and Inclusion

BY SOPHIA WOTMAN UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Matthew Guterl P’26 P’28, professor of a fricana studies and american studies, will be the university’s next vice president for diversity and inclusion, according to a Today@brown announcement from President Christina Paxson P’19 P’M d ’20.

i n the message, Paxson also announced that the Office of institutional equity and d iversity will be renamed the Office of d iversity and inclusion. The name change will “align the name of the office with its current operations,” given that it no longer oversees the university’s compliance and federal investigatory operations, Paxson wrote.

She added that the Odi will “focus on sustaining a thriving, diverse community where all community members feel welcome.”

both Guterl’s appointment and the office’s name change will take effect on March 1.

Last month, President Trump signed an executive order to end federal diversity, equity and inclusion programs, sparking uncertainty about the future of dei initiatives at institutions of higher education, including b rown.

“ d etermining what diversity and inclusion will look like in the coming years will require the voices of the entire campus community,” Guterl wrote in an email to The Herald. “i’m excited to begin those conversations with faculty, staff and students.”

“On all these fronts, Matt’s partnerships with b rown community members across campus and beyond will be vitally important as we continue to advance our diversity and inclusion work in compliance with the law,” Paxson wrote in the announcement.

Guterl began working at b rown in 2012 and served as chair of a merican studies for nine years. From spring 2016 to summer 2022, he was the faculty co-chair of the university’s d iversity and inclusion Oversight b oard, which oversees dia P.

Guterl has published work on civil rights and

race relations, and he was selected for a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2024. He received his bachelor’s degree in history from richard Stockton College of New Jersey and earned his Ph d in u.S. history at rutgers university.

Sylvia Carey- b utler formerly served as the vice president for institutional equity and diversity before stepping down after three years in the role in October. When she came to b rown, the university was beginning d iversity and inclusion a ction Plan Phase ii

Since October, Patricia Poitevien ’94 M d ’98 — the senior associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion for the division of biology and Medicine — filled Carey-butler’s vacancy in an interim capacity.

Paxson announced the formation of an internal search committee in October tasked with finding Carey-butler’s replacement. it was chaired by Paxson herself.

“a s a leading research institution dedicated to strong student-centered education, brown continues to recognize the critical importance of bringing diverse perspectives, knowledge and experiences to confront and solve the most complex challenges of the 21st century,” Paxson wrote.

Hirth hopes to maintain and “push further” in research in a time of “uncertainty"

BY ELISE HAULUND SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR

On Tuesday, Provost Francis doyle announced that Greg Hirth ScM’87 Phd’91, a professor of earth, environmental and planetary sciences, will be brown’s next vice president for research.

His appointment comes as the new Trump administration has threatened an expansive freeze on federal funding, jeopardizing millions of dollars in federal research grants, including some that brown researchers depend on.

Hirth has been serving in this position in an interim role since September 2024. He succeeds Jill Pipher, whose term ended in June.

There is “a lot of uncertainty” in the academic research landscape due to the “transition that’s occurring in Washington, d.C.,” Hirth said in an interview with The Herald. He stressed that communication between the research office, the provost’s office, the president and the deans of the different schools at brown is essential.

“We’re following things closely,” Hirth said. “There are a broad range of contingencies that we have to consider, and that’s part of the job.”

On Jan. 28, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 and doyle announced the formation of a group of university administrators who are working to “closely assess the orders coming out of Washington, d.C.”

“We always follow the law,” they wrote in a letter to the brown community. “but we are also prepared to exercise our legal right to advocate against laws, regulations or other actions that compromise brown's mission.”

in the letter announcing Hirth’s promotion, doyle described the geologist as “instrumental in helping brown researchers navigate grant submission guidelines and new directives from federal agencies in the wake of the new presidential administration.”

Hirth also steps into this role during the university’s ongoing shift toward a research institution and

away from its liberal arts college roots. For Hirth, the key to achieving this is strengthening “the conduit between the senior administration and the faculty” to “leverage the opportunities we have to the fullest extent.”

“at brown, the talent is spectacular,” Hirth said. “There is a lot of push, and there has been for a long time, to increase the success and impact of research at brown.”

i see just a huge potential to push it further,” he added.

This reflects what Hirth describes as the “aspirational” half of the position’s two major responsibilities. The other responsibility is the “operational” side, or maintaining the “strict rules” for grant processes.

in his letter, doyle mentioned that during Hirth’s interim role, the division of research received “a record number of submissions” to brown’s Seed and Salomon research grant programs — funding for research in the humanities and social sciences.

OP-ED

ARTS & CULTURE

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

NEWS Brown researchers observe new class of quantum particles

SEE MARRIAGE PACT PAGE 2

Gov. Dan McKee includes assault weapons ban in FY 2026 budget proposal

Bittker ’27: The case against student internships

SEE GRAMMY PAGE 12 How students are trying to find love through the Brown Marriage Pact

SEE PROPOSAL PAGE 5 METRO

UNIVERSITY NEWS

SEE BITTKER PAGE 10 2025 Grammy Awards pays touching tribute to Los Angeles

Federal agency to investigate Warren Alpert Medical School for alleged antisemitism

Warren Alpert one of four medical schools to be investigated

BY CLAIRE SONG UNIVERSITY NEWS & SCIENCE & RESEARCH EDITOR

On Feb. 3, the u.S. department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil rights notified the university that they will be investigating the Warren alpert Medical School for alleged antisemitic incidents that occurred during its May 2024 commencement ceremony.

university Spokesperson brian Clark said brown is confident that their “actions in response to a protest on an ad-

jacent public street” during the ceremony were in compliance with appropriate federal laws protecting students from discrimination.

The investigation will focus on whether the school “acted with deliberate indifference” towards events that might have “impacted Jewish students’ rights to access educational opportunities and benefits,” according to the press release announcing the investigations. The review was launched in alignment with Trump’s executive order addressing antisemitism, which specifically mentioned antisemitic harassment on university campuses.

The investigation was “prompted by claims in a news article published last month,” Clark wrote. The other three

medical schools under investigation are Harvard, Columbia and Johns Hopkins university, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The medical schools will be examined to see if they complied under Title Vi of the Civil rights act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the affordable Care act — which encompasses protections against discrimination based upon race, color or national origin — according to the press release.

“The reviews come in response to reported incidents of antisemitism and displays of offensive symbols and messaging during the ceremonies, including alleged expressions of support for ter-

SEE PARTICLES PAGE 14

Both Guterl’s appointment and the office’s name change will take effect on March 1.

Greg Hirth ScM’87 PhD’91, a geologist and geophysicist, plans to use his four decades of research experience to inform his leadership.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Cogut Institute’s Non-Zionist Jewish Traditions Conference receives backlash

Conference increased security after 1,500 emails received in protest

BY CHIUPONG HUANG AND HADLEY CARR SENIOR STAFF WRITER AND UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

This week, the Cogut institute for the Humanities hosted a two-day academic conference discussing the prevalence of non-Zionist Jewish traditions throughout history.

The Non-Zionist Jewish Traditions Conference, held between Feb. 3 and 4, included a variety of panels and roundtables featuring 21 speakers and moderators from brown, Princeton, Cornell and other universities. The conference aimed to address the evolving relationship that Zionism and the State of israel have with different Orthodox communities and various ideological traditions.

Prior to the conference, the Cogut institute received over 1,500 emails in protest of the event, according to conference organizers.

The main complaint voiced in the emails sent to the Cogut institute was that the conference was “antisemitic, racist” and that it “erases Zionism from history,” said Visiting Professor of Humanities and Middle east Studies adi Ophir, a conference organizer.

outside of andrews House on both days of the event.

Ophir noted that events hosted at andrews House typically don’t feature any security. but in response to the emails, this event had a “heavy” security presence, Ophir said.

The email campaign prompted engagement from the university’s Office of event Strategy and Management, the university’s Multi-Partial Team and the department of Public Safety to ensure that the conference would “proceed smoothly,” Cogut institute director amanda anderson, a professor of english and humanities, wrote in an email to The Herald. The new security protocol included three dPS staff, two external security guards and one additional event staff.

“a nti-Zionism is a nti-Semitism,” “We stand with israel” and “Free Hugs” while playing Jewish folk songs.

Schneider said that riCi “tried very hard” to get the conference canceled.

On Monday, dPS asked the protestors to move across the street because they were on “brown’s property,” according to Schneider. On Tuesday, a dPS officer approached the protestors and asked them to lower the volume of their music.

but the protestors “didn’t bother us,” Ophir said. “They bothered other classes.”

“in a certain sense, the resistance is a sign that (the conference) is actually needed,” said Shaul Magid, a visiting professor at Harvard who was a member of the conference convening committee.

again about what those are.”

The event was co-sponsored by the department of History and the department of religious Studies and convened by Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies Omer bartov, Professor of european History Professor Holly Case and Professor of Comparative Literature Peter Szendy, as well as Ophir and Magid.

Last February, Ophir attended a speaker event hosted by Jonathan Greenblatt, where some students walked out in protest. Ophir recalled that Greenblatt started his lecture by saying, “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.” Ophir began planning the conference soon after.

The conference began with a panel held by Magid, bartov and Sarah Hammerschlag, a religion and literature professor at the university of Chicago. Harry Merritt Ma’14 Phd ’20, who spoke at a later panel, found the introduction “thought-provoking.”

“as a brown alumnus, this interdisciplinary conference felt like an exemplary manifestation of the Cogut Center’s mission,” Merritt said. “The tendency by this conference’s detractors to conflate non-Zionism with anti-Zionism and anti-Zionism with antisemitism only points to the urgent need to define and analyze these terms theoretically and to contextualize them historically.”

the public via events@brown and various on-campus email publications. The Cogut institute did not advertise the event on social media.

but “word-of-mouth was far-reaching,” anderson said. Spots filled up ten days before the event, shortly after the promotion began.

Jeremy Gold ’26 came to the event after hearing about the conference from friends.

“ i ’ve been thinking a lot about my relationship with Zionism and the State of israel,” Gold said. He added that non-Zionist traditions in history are very “polarizing” and “hard to talk about.”

eitan Zemel ’26, another attendee, said that his “main takeaway is that there are a lot more histories to learn, and there are so many different frameworks for understanding the political situation in the land as well as the history of divergent Jewish ideologies.”

david Litman, a conference attendee and a Senior analyst for the Committee for accuracy in Middle east reporting and analysis, thought the conference lacked Zionist representation. He continued that non-Zionist teachings are becoming increasingly popular in academia, a trend he says is not reflected in “mainstream Judaism.”

While the emails’ origins are unclear, some were sent by the rhode island Coalition for israel, according to Ken Schneider, a riCi board member. riCi also protested

On the first day of the conference, eight protestors from ri C i stood outside the building. The second day saw three protestors, including Schneider. riCi members held up signs that read,

Prior to the conference, Hammerschlag received an email which read, “Why do you hate Jews?” While many of Hammerschlag’s colleagues received similar emails, the majority of emails sent in protest were sent to the Cogut institute.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 5, 2025. ACADEMICS

“a lot of people felt that we needed to convene and think of alternatives to the reality we live in,” Magid added.“There are non-Zionist traditions within the Jewish tradition that have somehow been marginalized, erased and it's worth it to rethink

The events of the conference made two things “very clear,” Ophir concluded in his closing statement: “This conversation must continue and must expand.”

The event was initially advertised to

The Brown Marriage Pact: How Brown students are trying to find love

Thousands of students signed up in hopes of finding "the one"

BY AMBER MARCUS-BLANK SENIOR STAFF WRITER

When it comes to love, it can be difficult to find “the one.” Some even believe that the united States suffers from a “marriage material” shortage. but at brown, students are trying a new strategy: an online algorithm. as the fall semester drew to a close, Chloe Jazzy Lau ’27 — a member of The Herald’s data desk — and Felipe barbosa ’27 settled on a way for brown students to find their perfect match: Marriage Pact. While the duo was optimistic about bringing the platform to brown, they never expected it to grow into the phenomenon that it became.

When the platform’s five-person leadership team at brown initially launched the questionnaire at 8 a.m. on Jan. 7, they had a goal of attaining 2,500 signups — or 30% of the undergraduates — according to Jazzy Lau. by 8 p.m. that day, there were 567 submissions and by the end of the week, 45% of the student body had filled it out. in the end, 3,158 signed up.

Marriage Pact’s origins can be traced back to 2017, when Liam McGregor and Sophia Sterling-angus created it as a final project for a Stanford university economics course. The project soon spread to other schools, and today it has reached 100, including brown.

For some, the platform has been a major success, according to barbosa.

“30% of people actually meet in real life after Marriage Pact,” he said. “Three to four percent of people are still dating after one year.” although the idea at brown seemed to spread quite naturally, the team described their marketing strategy as “intentional.”

“We wanted to be mysterious and come from all sides,” barbosa said, explaining that students were more likely to sign up if they heard about it from their friends.

“i think Sidechat helped a lot,” said

Natalia baños delgado ’26, a member of the leadership team, referring to the anon-

ymous online social media platform for brown community members. The first post announcing the platform’s arrival “blew up,” she said.

after students completed the questionnaire, the intrigue only heightened. They received occasional emails which provided hints at who their “match” would be. These hints included the match’s initials and intended concentration. according to baños delgado, these emails prompted a new wave of signups.

Jeffrey Pogue ’27, a member of the Marriage Pact’s leadership team, said the

group’s project manager at Stanford instructed them to promote the platform anonymously to create a “more organic rollout” using a form of marketing called “astroturfing.”

Pogue believes that the team’s strategy was successful.

“i never met a single person within the final 48 hours who had not heard of Marriage Pact,” he said.

“The community at brown is very open and engaged, so i didn’t see anyone refusing the idea,” said brenda Subilhaga ’25, another member of the leadership team.

The platform’s popularity wasn’t limited to those looking for romance. in the final week of the signup period, the bear Necessities acapella group used Marriage Pact’s aesthetic to promote their spring auditions.

The buzz around campus inspired many students to sign up for Marriage Pact, which officially released match results on Feb. 4. Some students have already connected with their matches.

For aryan Sawhney ’28, who had a 100% match with his friend, the result was “humorous.”

a part of me, i guess, wishes that maybe i could have met someone new. but i also think it was just a lot of fun,” Sawhney said. “We’re definitely joking around about it together, and i think i’ll probably send her flowers for Valentine's day.”

“i got matched with my roommate,” amy Park ’28 said. “We had a little laugh about it and then we moved on.”

evan Li ’28 characterized his match as a success.

“We set a date for Friday to meet up,” Li said. “it’s kind of crazy how well it actually worked out.”

Talia udelman ’28 also reached out to her match. “He seems like a cool guy. We’ve only talked a little bit, but who knows,” she said.

“it was cool to see brown’s community come together (in) these ways,” said Jazzy Lau. “People want connection, people want to find love at this school.”

MEDICAL SCHOOL FROM PAGE 1

rorist organizations,” the press release stated, adding that the reports raise “serious concerns” for the protection of students under these statutes.

during the 2024 commencement ceremony — which recognized undergraduate, graduate and medical students — protesters led a “disruption,” calling for the university to divest. The demonstration was led by brown alumni for Palestine while the rhode island Coalition for israel also organized a demonstration simultaneously.

“Jewish students are unfairly expected to bear the burden of unchecked micro

and macro aggressions directed at them by peers,” said rabbi Josh bolton, the executive director of brown-riSd Hillel, in response to the demonstration during the commencement at Warren alpert.

“We will remain resolved in our efforts to ensure a campus community where all individuals feel safe and valued and where no instance of antisemitism, islamophobia or any other form of discrimination or harassment in violation of brown’s policy is tolerated,” Clark wrote in an email to The Herald.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 5, 2025.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

RESEARCH FROM PAGE 1

“i look forward to continuing to work closely with Greg and to collaborating with him and the entire division of research staff to support brown’s ambitious research goals,” doyle wrote.

Hirth has enjoyed a successful career in research. Last april, he was elected to join the prestigious american academy of arts and Sciences.

after finishing his Phd at brown in 1991, Hirth spent 14 years researching at the Woods Hole Oceanographic institution in Massachusetts, doing “boots-onthe-ground” geology. Hirth’s research background is in geology and geophysics,

studying topics from rock deformation to earthquakes to mountain-building.

Hirth returned to College Hill in 2007 to pursue teaching alongside his research. He plans to use the perspective gained from nearly two decades of university research experience to inform his work as vice president for research.

“Part of science is the science,” Hirth said. “but the other part of science is the ability to communicate, think of ways to remove barriers to progress and really support people who are taking off.”

“Those types of things don’t get stuck within a discipline,” he added. “They’re really applicable to everything.”

Community coordinator union ratifies first contract with unanimous vote

BY EMILY FEIL SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The Labor Organization of Community Coordinators has ratified its first contract with the university after members unanimously voted in favor of the agreement, the union announced in a Jan. 31 instagram post.

The ratification marks the end of nearly a year of negotiations and will increase CCs’ compensation from $10,500 to $12,500 for the 2024-25 academic year. The difference will be applied retroactively for those employed during the current academic year.

The contract will be in effect through the 2025-26 academic year aar

d uring bargaining, LOCC members pushed for more detailed role responsibilities and mutually-agreed-upon timelines for changes in CCs’ duties. The union cited poor communication of job responsibilities when announcing its formation in September 2023. The contract requires a Labor Management Committee, composed of u niversity and union representatives, to review

CC responsibilities at weekly meetings in October. revisions made during the meetings will be forwarded to the Office of res -

idential Life, “to be incorporated into recruitment materials for the following academic year,” the contract states.

“We are going to have these meetings

for the purpose of looking at our responsibilities document and providing our feedback,” LOCC Organizer anna r yu ’25 said. “Our organizing and our work

Submissions:

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is definitely going through a new phase.”

CCs will also be able to provide feedback on “fall and winter refresh training” sessions and discuss how to implement feedback in future trainings with the university, according to the contract. its implementation makes LOCC the second undergraduate union to reach an agreement with the university. r yu said she believes the contract recognizes the importance of CCs on campus and “is a challenge to the narrative that CCs don’t care or are indifferent.”

ryu said CCs aren’t seen as necessary in the brown community. “it’s hard to appreciate the value of these roles,” she said. ryu added that she hopes the contract fosters a stronger community and more collaborative culture among CCs. “i feel very proud of our union and CCs for making this contract happen,” r yu said. “it is connected to the pride i feel when i see a CC doing something for their community, connecting with their residents and doing this job in a way that we know it can be done.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 3, 2025.

in your email, and we will do our best to work with you.

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RISD students find first-year foundational classes valuable but lengthy

Program aims to expose students to a variety of art styles

BY DIA NANDA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

every first-year at the rhode island School of design enrolls in the experimental and Foundation Studies program. but while students praise the experimental nature of the courses, many voiced concerns about the intensity of the program.

The curriculum consists of three studio classes — “drawing,” “design” and “Spatial dynamics” — which is supported by additional liberal arts coursework.

The program places first-years into groups of approximately 20 students at the beginning of the fall semester. Throughout their first semester, that same group of students works with three different professors, each covering one studio class. Groups are then reorganized in the spring semester.

Professors do not follow a unified curriculum for the studio classes, meaning that every student who goes through the program gets a vastly different experience. but for brown-riSd dual degree student Celine Huang ’27, “that’s the beauty of it.”

“in an ideal situation, a student leaves eFS with six completely different points of view on art and design,” dean of eFS Clement Valla told The Herald. “They then take that constellation and figure out for themselves how to apply all of these different approaches.”

but some students said this means

COMMUNITY

the eFS experience is incredibly professor-dependent. “it’s like a lottery” said brown-riSd dual degree student Maximos Spatharakis ’29. “a lot of people had a group of really tough or really good professors, so it really was the luck of the draw.”

riSd sophomore Kaz bradley said that eFS should establish more uniformity to ensure everyone gains the same skills. “if eFS is something that everyone has to do, it should have some level of standard curriculum so that everyone comes out on a level playing field,” they said.

Some students also struggled with the eFS’s long class-lengths. each studio class meets once per week for seven-and-a-half hours, often starting at 8 a.m. First-year students have studio classes three times a week.

“you go to the studio at 8 or 8:30 a.m. and then come back at like 4:30 or 5 p.m.,”

Huang said, joking that students “don’t see the sun for three out of five days out of the week.”

On the days Huang did not have her studio classes at riSd and would come to brown for class, she often thought, “Wow, there are people, like there’s sun!” despite long class-lengths, Huang said that eFS was “a good way for students to get into the art school environment and get exposure to different mediums.”

Studios are intended to be intense experiences, where a lot of work gets done within allotted class time, Valla said.

Students are also expected to put in several hours of outside work for their classes. “it’s part of the riSd experience,” Huang said. among a majority of riSd students, there is a mentality that you have to “tough it out,” but she also worries that this idea can be “taken a little too far.”

ellery Snyderman, a riSd sophomore, said “there’s so many assignments that you are not going to get anything out of,” and that most professors want to “see a very specific set of (students’) skills.”

Other students criticized the school’s approach to the workload. “There needs to be a better support network for students,” bradley said, especially for “students who have no experience with a school that’s this intense.”

First-years must declare their major during the spring semester, making second-semester eFS courses frustrating for some students. Spatharakis shared that having to continue with the eFS program after declaring a major felt like “a regression, instead of evolving.”

despite these criticisms, many students felt like the program helped them grow as artists and students. Snyderman said

Providence community rings in the Year of the Snake

Community members attend events to celebrate the Lunar New Year

BY SHARANYA JAIN CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Last Wednesday, Jan. 29, the Providence community celebrated the start of the Lunar New year, participating in activities ranging from exchanging good-luck envelopes to watching lion dances. The celebrations mark the beginning of the year of the Snake, according to the Chinese zodiac.

“The Lunar New year is the biggest holiday in Chinese culture,” explained Jeannie Salomon, founder and executive director of the Cultural Society for e ntrepreneurship, bilingualism, resources and inspirations.

b ut the celebration is not limited to the Chinese community, she added. The Lunar New year is also celebrated by other communities, including Vietnamese and Korean people.

“When it comes to the a sian a merican and Pacific i slander community, different ethnic groups celebrate a little differently,” Salomon said.

“a lot of our traditions come from legends,” she added.

One common celebratory method is the use of firecrackers. This tradition stems from the story of a monster that terrorized villages the night before Lunar New year, Salomon explained. b ut according to the legend, the monster was driven away using firecrackers.

a nother Lunar New year tradition is the lion dance, which is performed

every year to bring good luck and drive away evil spirits.

Michelle Cheng, founder and owner of Ceremony, hosted a lion dance event at the cafe’s brook Street location in collaboration with the r i . Kung Fu Club on Feb. 2.

at the event, the two lions raced in a boba-chugging competition. b oth lions then chomped down on lettuce and spat it back at the audience. The recipients of the leaves are considered to be blessed with prosperity and good fortune.

Cheng, who hosts this lion dance every year, strives to make the celebration “open and welcoming to all,” she wrote in an email to The Herald.

“We want people to feel like they belong, whether they grew up celebrating Lunar New year or are experiencing it for the first time,” she added. “We’re inviting the broader Providence community to see, acknowledge and respect our traditions. That visibility matters.”

Cheng hopes that those celebrating the holiday far from home can gather at Ceremony to share the Lunar New year experience with others.

“When i immigrated to the u.S., my family always felt the absence of nián wèi (年味),”she wrote. Nián wèi (年味), which directly translates to “year flavor,” refers to the festive atmosphere surrounding Lunar New year celebrations.

“ i know there are many others — immigrants, international students and those far from home — who feel that same longing for connection during this time,” Cheng added.

The lion dance is a method of connecting community members — regardless of their ethnicity or cultural back-

ground, explained Luyi Shao, founder and director of ri KFC.

“it’s not an a sian thing,” he said. “it’s a good people thing.”

The purpose of the lion dance is to ward off negative energy while “bringing good luck and good energy,” said e ric Ko ’25, a lion dancer at ri KFC. “That’s why a lot of our music is incredibly loud, to ward away all the negativity and bad luck.”

For rhode island-native Joshua Wang ’25, dancing with riKFC helped him “tap into (his) Chinese culture in a state that is not very a sian,” he said.

“ b eing able to participate in these types of activities on a yearly basis has been one of the fondest memories that i ’ve had growing up,” he added.

Other Providence institutions organized similar celebrations to Ceremony’s lion dance. On Tuesday, the South Providence Library hosted a Lunar New year celebration that included lion dancing, traditional a sian food and other activities.

a t the celebration, children made lion puppets for the lion dance and engaged with different reptiles during an interactive snake show in honor of the year of the Snake.

This Saturday, riKFC is also performing the lion dance at the Garden City Center in Cranston.

“There’s a growing curiosity and appreciation for these traditions outside the (a sian a merican Pacific i slander) community,” Cheng said. “Fear comes from what we don’t know. The more we can create opportunities for cultural exchange, the more understanding and connection we build.”

that the high workload helped promote “a really good work ethic,” adding that this drive helps push students as they advance through riSd

Spatharakis felt that eFS forced him to gain confidence in expressing his ideas, and to be more “bold,” adding that the program helped push him out of his comfort zone. Spatharakis, who is from Greece, said that his high school was not as experimental, whereas riSd fuses the “european old fashioned rigidity of foundation year” and the “american experimental art school vibe.”

another goal of the eFS program is to develop what Valla calls a “critique culture.” during riSd studio classes, the instructor and other students give feedback on submitted work, aiming to help students develop and grow as artists. The critique process is “a very peculiar yet very powerful modality” for collaborative analysis, Valla said. “That’s the core of riSd.”. a major part of the program for many students is the community built within the classes. Spatharakis shared there was a feeling of “solidarity” among students with tough professors, saying that students were able to relate and support each other.

bradley said the community “is really the best thing you get out of eFS,” adding that even if “the program is nonsense and is overly difficult, you come out having this bond with your class.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 3, 2025.

Lion Dancers perform outside of Ceremony cafe.

GUN ADVOCACY

Gov. Dan McKee includes assault weapons ban in FY 2026 budget proposal

Assault weapons ban is first of its kind to appear in the governor’s budget

BY ANDREA LI SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Gov. d an McKee’s budget proposal for fiscal year 2026 includes a directive to “prohibit the future possession, purchase, sale, control and manufacture of assault weapons” in rhode island, according to a Jan. 16 press release from his office.

The assault weapons ban is the first of its kind to appear in the governor’s budget, McKee said during his State of the State address last month. The proposed budget will now be reviewed and revised by the General assembly before it is due to take effect July 1.

This ban is a “proactive stance” that comes after “years of asking the General assembly” to approve legislation banning assault weapons, wrote Olivia darocha, the governor’s press secretary, in an email to The Herald.

State r epresentative Jason Knight (d-barrington, Warren), who previously proposed legislation to ban assault weapons, said that placing the ban in the budget creates a “certain kind of pressure (to enact it) that wasn’t there before.”

LOCAL POLITICS

The ban “has been on the table for years and years and years,” Knight said. “it is time to get it done.”

Caleb Schultz ’26, co-chair of Students demand action at brown — a gun control advocacy group –– felt encouraged by the appearance of an assault weapons ban in McKee’s budget.

The group has been working closely with state legislators to pass an assault weapons ban for years, Schultz wrote in an email to The Herald. but McKee’s current attempt seems “more likely” to be approved than previous tries, he added.

“Nothing’s guaranteed, and we have a lot of work to do,” Schultz added. “but we’re hopeful and excited.”

McKee’s decision to incorporate the assault weapons ban into his budget proposal has also sparked criticism. Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz (r-burrillville, Glocester, North Smithfield) wrote in an email to The Herald that she “was appalled to hear of the Governor’s plan to include an assault weapons ban in the budget.”

“Legislation is crafted and debated by the General assembly, senators and representatives, not hidden in the state’s budget,” she added.

McKee’s office did not respond to an additional request for comment about these concerns.

Gun safety advocates also pointed to

Senate President dominick ruggerio’s (d-North Providence, Providence) recently changed attitude regarding assault weapons as hope for effective change.

ruggerio has described himself as a “Second amendment person,” and previously stated that he believes a ban should come from the federal level. but in an interview with the boston Globe in december 2024, he called this belief his “former position.”

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

because of this change, gun safety advocates are “very hopeful for this session,” said Melissa Carden, executive director of the rhode island Coalition against Gun Violence and a former 2024 State Senate candidate.

“We know that with the new adminis-

tration in office, an assault weapons ban is very unlikely to happen on a federal level, so it makes it all that more important that we pass it on a state level,” Carden added.

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

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 4, 2025.

ACLU of RI calls for limited local law enforcement cooperation with

ACLU R.I.’s model ordinance expands immigrant protections

BY LILY SELTZ STAFF WRITER

in light of President Trump’s executive orders attempting to refashion the u.S. immigration system, the american Civil Liberties union of rhode island has called on all 39 municipalities in the state to adopt policies modelled on the Municipal immigrant Protection Ordinance, which aims to limit law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities.

The ordinances would place restrictions on immigration and Customs enforcement or Customs and border Protection agents questioning an individual in the custody of local law enforcement “solely for civil immigration enforcement purposes.” These law enforcement agencies would also be prohibited from holding

an individual in custody past their legally mandated release date solely because of a request from iCe

Other protections include ensuring municipal resources are not used to create a federal registry based on race, religion and national origin, among other demographic categories. Law enforcement would limit its participation in the surveillance of political and religious groups.

Steven brown, the executive director of aCLu r i., wrote in an email to The Herald that his chapter proposed an identical ordinance in 2017, following Trump’s first inauguration.

“We believe the threats to the immigrant community are even greater now than they were in 2017,” brown wrote.

“That is why we decided to once again make this effort.”

Some of the provisions listed in the 2017 ordinance were adopted by Providence and other municipalities within the state, brown said.

roxie richner, the press secretary for the Providence City Council, wrote in an

email to The Herald that the council is “committed to finding safe and appropriate ways to defend our undocumented communities who face significant risk and uncertainty under the Trump administration.”

“Providence remains committed to being a safe and welcoming city for all neighbors of all immigration status,” Providence City Spokesperson anthony Vega wrote in an email to The Herald. “Providence Police will not act as immigration officers or collaborate with iCe to provide information.”

if these measures are introduced in the city council, Vega added that the mayor would consider the ordinance after it is reviewed by the city council.

Tracy Nelson, Cranston’s city clerk, wrote in an email to The Herald that no version of the aCLu’s ordinance has been introduced this year.

Cranston City Council Member Christopher buonanno said that he had a “neutral” opinion on the aCLu’s proposal.

but he told The Herald that Cranston

residents who are in custody for some minor, nonviolent infractions should not have to face the threat of deportation due to local law enforcement’s cooperation with iCe

“if there are people that are repeatedly arrested and repeatedly have negative interaction with law enforcement … that’s a different story,” buonanno said. “i think those need to be looked at on a case by case basis.”

The aCLu r i.’s proposal comes at a moment when some local policymakers are wary of expanding immigration protections under the new Trump administration. The White House has threatened to revoke funding from “sanctuary cities” where local law enforcement limits its cooperation with iCe in January, Providence City Council Member Justin roias (Ward 4) introduced a set of amendments to the Providence Community-Public relations act designed to bolster protections for immigrants, The Herald previously reported.

Since then, city officials have slowed

discussions about the amendment, with roias telling the Public’s radio that he wanted to be “mindful of not becoming a target and having iCe double down on our city.” roias did not respond to The Herald’s request for additional comment. but brown said that “every blue state already has a target on their backs.” “ b eing fearful of doing anything is precisely what the Trump administration is hoping for,” brown added. “Now is the time for public officials to be proactive, not passive, in light of the very real threats facing the immigrant community.” brown said that the aCLu r i.’s ordinance was also “carefully crafted to ensure that it does not violate any federal obligation that the state or municipalities might have.” in its letter, the aCLu r i also assured recipients that the Trump administration would meet “substantial constitutional hurdles” if it tried to withdraw funding from sanctuary jurisdictions. The White House did not respond to The Herald’s request for comment.

MaTHieu GreCO / HeraLd

The assault weapons ban is the first of its kind to appear in the governor’s budget, McKee said during his State of the State Address last month.

According to the Executive Director of ACLU R.I. Steven Brown, the proposed ordinance was “carefully crafted to ensure that it does not violate any federal obligation that the state or municipalities might have.” aNNa

ICE HOCKEY

Women’s ice hockey beats conference rival Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

The team currently ranks eighth in the ECAC conference

BY GALEN GIBB STAFF WRITER

This weekend, the brown women’s ice hockey team (12-10-3, 7-8-3 eCaC) hosted conference rivals union College (12-17-1, 8-10-0) and rensselaer Polytechnic institute (12-15-3, 5-11-2). The bears trudged to a 1-2 loss against union on Friday, but rallied to defeat rPi 4-3 in one of the most exciting and important outcomes of the season.

bruno now tiptoes in eighth place above union by half a point and rPi by four and a half points in the eCaC standings.

“it’s a huge (win) for us,” goaltender rory edwards ’27 said in an interview with The Herald. “This weekend was really big for our place in the standings, and i think it’s the biggest three points we’ve earned all season.”

While the bears repeatedly won possession along the side boards, they also struggled to string together passes to deconstruct the engineers’ defense. Just south of four minutes into the first period, rPi intercepted the puck in the left circle of brown’s defensive zone. The opponent passed to another engineer, filling the center lane to generate a 2-on-1 opportunity, but edwards deflected the shot from going into the bottom right corner and stifled another attempt off the rebound.

The puck ricocheted to Jade iginla ’26 on the left side. She maneuvered past two defenders, then launched a cross-body shot that hit off the pipe and into the net. Four minutes into the game, bruno was up 1-0. emerging from a pileup on the right side boards in rPi’s defensive zone, rensselaer forward Nyah Philip flung the puck across the rink to teammate aylah Cioffi on the left side, whose first touch evaded a

The women’s ice hockey team will continue to fight for their place in the standings this week against conference opponents Dartmouth and Harvard. Courtesy of Ashton Daniel Robertson via Brown Athletics.

bruno defender and shot bypassed edwards to tie the game 1-1. r P i barraged b runo with attacks throughout the rest of the first period, firing 13 shots towards the goal in an eightand-a-half minute stretch. edwards saved eight of them, deflecting shots with her body and stick, catching high-flying pucks with her trapper and diving to secure the ones on the ground.

“We’re a big block-shots team,” edwards said. “We do a great job keeping pucks away from the net. We have some of the best shot blocks from our (defenders) to our wings.”

although brown attempted to score three times late in the period, the first period scoreline ended 1-1.

The engineers kept their foot on the gas pedal at the start of the second period.

but at 5:35, iginla turned the tide for the bears. Stealing the puck among a cluster of red jerseys behind rPi’s goal line, she curled around the net and made a short pass to india Mcdadi ’26, who shoveled it into the goal.

back in the lead, brown found renewed confidence in its attack, leading a rensselaer defender to commit a tripping penalty on Monique Lyons ’28 while trying to clear away a deflection.

despite bruno being given a power play, Margot Norehad ’27 committed a hooking penalty soon after, which made it a 4-on-4 game. after a ground shot by rPi, Cioffi redirected the puck into the back of the net. The score now stood at 2-2.

Halfway through the period, an rPi penalty handed bruno their second power play opportunity. Then, an rPi forward got

called for a penalty, bestowing the bears a 5-on-3 advantage for 90 seconds. iginla launched the puck towards the goal and sent a defender diving to the ice to block it, allowing Cameron Sikich ’25 a clear shot off the rebound. The rensselaer goaltender deflected the puck to just outside the crease, where Sam broz ’27 — a Herald copy editor — eased it to Lyons on the right pipe to go up 3-2.

in response to the physicality, “i think we rose to the occasion,” iginla said in an interview with The Herald. “We’re a decent-sized team and we have some good motor, so it’s a game we love to play in.”

The engineers refused to relent. at 16:45, rPi’s andrea Trnková skated around two bruno defenders towards the middle, then whipped a speeding shot at goal that edwards could not corral. Off the long

rebound, an engineer swooped in from the right circle and flicked the puck into the lower right corner of the net. The match tied at 3-3.

Head Coach Melanie ruzzi said she “challenged” her players in an interview with The Herald. “at the end of the day, they want the same thing we (do), and we have to take it from them.” back on the ice, the bears embodied that message. They continued to apply offensive pressure, firing five shots early in the period. On their sixth attempt, bruno converted. Norehad raced down the right side of the rink to create a 3-on-1 opportunity. She dished the puck to iginla flying down the center lane, who quickly directed to Mcdadi on her left side. Completing the three-woman move, Mcdadi returned the puck to iginla, who slotted it into the net for her second goal.

For the rest of the match, brown just needed to survive. in the next 13 minutes, the two teams engaged in 16 more faceoffs while the bears’ backline combined for four blocked shots. With two minutes left, rPi pulled the goalie for a 6-on-5 offensive advantage, but bruno held on.

“We knew Trnková was their shooter,” ruzzi explained. “That was the player we needed to make sure we were aware of. i think we did a really good job of that.” along with a crucial save by edwards, bruno blocked four more shots as the clock ticked down, cementing the 4-3 win. every team is the same,” ruzzi said. “you just have to compete. Our league is so good; the coaches in our league are so good; there is no day off.”

The women’s ice hockey team will continue to fight for their place in the standings this week against conference opponents dartmouth and Harvard.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 4, 2025.

Kicking off Super Bowl Sunday: How Brown students are tuning in to the big game

Student groups hosting Super Bowl watch parties help foster community

BY LYDELL DYER SPORTS EDITOR

Two years ago, an average of 115 million people tuned in live to watch the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia eagles battle it out in Super bowl LVii in just two days, the same two teams will hit the field again — this time in Super bowl LiX, featuring a half-time performance by Kendrick Lamar and SZa as people around the country prepare for one of the biggest sports events of the year, campus groups are doing the same.

Student organizations, fraternities and program houses around campus are making use of the Super bowl to connect with their community. among the groups hosting Super bowl parties are beta Omega Chi, rural Students at brown, Harambee House and the alpha delta Phi Society.

bOX aims to be a welcoming space “not only for black men, but for the black community around campus,” yabeke Zike ’25, bOX’s finance chair, said in an interview with The Herald.

Hosting a Super bowl watch party “is one of our ways of doing that,” he added.

despite bOX’s focus on the black community at brown, bOX President Korey Sam ’25 decided to make the party a public event to “spread the love and spread the community,” he said. On Sunday, bOX will host their fourth Super bowl party in their Olney Lounge. according to Sam, they will serve pizzas, calzones, wings and tenders.

“We want to give the traditional foot-

ball Super bowl Sunday experience,” Sam said. “We have the lounge, we have the projectors set up, we have speakers — it’s a more homey environment.”

Sports, Zike and Sam said, are a vehicle for connection.

“a lot of people were involved in sports in high school and put those things aside when they came to college,” Sam explained. “i feel like it’s a good way for people to

engage, and it’s accessible for everyone. if people are free, if they have time, they can just come kick it with us.”

eliana Hornbuckle ’25, co-chair of community and connections for rural Students at brown, also emphasized the uniting power of sports.

rS@b advocates for the admission of more rural students to institutions of higher education, Hornbuckle explained. Once

these students get to brown, the club tries to help them adjust to the urban lifestyle on campus.

“We’ve had a Super bowl watch party every year that the club has officially existed,” Hornbuckle wrote in a message to The Herald. “For our club, it’s an event that takes very little time to plan but has a large impact.”

as campus groups use the Super bowl to gather active students on campus, the event offers a way to remember those who have long graduated. Sunday’s game will mark the ninth-straight Super bowl featuring a brown football alum.

Since 2011, Mark d onovan ’88 has served as president of the Chiefs. For the past 14 years, he has been part of the team’s resounding success, including four Super bowl appearances — not including this Sunday’s — and three Super bowl victories.

“as somebody that grew up loving the game of football, loving the NFL and everything it stood for, to be a part of that is kind of overwhelming,” donovan said to NFL Network’s Judy battista and Tom Pelissero on the opening night of Super bowl LiX. Whether as part of a student organization, as president of a team or simply on their own, millions of people will be tuning in for Sunday’s Super bowl rematch. How will you be spending it?

SPORTS

BASKETBALL

Kino Lilly Jr. ’25 shines in 88-79 victory against Penn

After their Friday win, the team fell to Princeton on Saturday

BY GUS BAILEY SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Men’s basketball (10-9, 2-4 ivy League) split their two games this weekend, using a late push to hold off Penn (6-13, 2-4) 88-79 on Friday before falling to Princeton (15-6, 4-2) 69-49 on Saturday. Kino Lilly Jr. ’25 shined in the victory over Penn, scoring a career-high 34 points while making eight three-pointers.

On Friday, Lilly came out of the gate scorching, knocking down five threes before the ten-minute mark of the first half and leaving Penn scrambling to adjust. With 8:26 to play in the half, Lyndel erold ’25 grabbed an offensive rebound between two defenders before kicking it out to alexander Lesburt Jr. ’26, who knocked down the open three to give brown a 14-point lead. Led by Lesburt and Lilly, bruno shot an incredible 80% from three in the first 20 minutes.

in an email to The Herald, Lesburt wrote that the team’s outside shooting success stems from having complete confidence in each other.

“We do a phenomenal job letting each other know that, which leads to great success shooting the ball and success in other areas of the game,” he added.

With just under three minutes remaining until halftime, Penn fought back, cutting the bears’ lead down to seven. but the Quakers had no answer for Lilly, who responded with back-to-back threes. His seven first-half threes tied a single-game career-high and sent brown into halftime with a 48-38 advantage.

Penn came out of halftime with renewed

BASKETBALL

intensity. Honing in on Lilly defensively, the Quakers opened with a 12-0 run that quickly erased brown’s cushion. in need of a second offensive spark, the bears turned to Lesburt, who scored 13 of his 19 points after halftime as they fought to regain control.

With Penn mounting a late-game push, erold again came up big. With just under four minutes to play, he blocked a Penn layup attempt and grabbed the rebound. Pushing the ball up the floor, the bears turned to Lilly, who sank his eighth three-pointer of the night and pushed the lead to six. after hitting clutch free throws, brown was able to close out the Quakers on the road, 88-79.

“against Penn, we did a great job executing our game plan, especially on the defensive end,” erold wrote in an email to The Herald.

“We were locked in, communicated well and controlled the boards, which helped us dictate the pace. Offensively, we moved the ball well and got high-quality shots.”

Spearheading bruno’s efforts to control the boards, erold grabbed 11 rebounds — five more than any other player. against Princeton, the bears could not muster the same offensive firepower. despite draining 15 three-pointers on Friday, they shot just 9-for-27 from beyond the arc on Saturday, including a combined seven threes from Lilly and erold.

Overwhelming bruno offensively, the Tigers jumped to a 14-point lead by halftime. Playing from behind, brown did not quit, slicing the deficit to four points early in the second half and raising fans’ hopes for a weekend sweep.

but ultimately, the bears were unable to complete the comeback, and Princeton controlled the final ten minutes, handing brown a 69-49 loss.

“against Princeton, we didn’t play to our standard for a full 40 minutes,” erold

ten-minute mark of the first half and leaving Penn scrambling to adjust.

explained. “They took advantage of our mistakes, and we know we have to be more disciplined and consistent, especially on defense.”

Lilly was a bright spot in the loss, tallying 18 points. He currently ranks second in the ivy League in points per game at 19.1 as he continues a stellar senior season. erold and aaron Cooley ’25 were the only other bears to finish in double-figures this game.

With “big man” Landon Lewis ’26 fighting through an injury — whose 13.5 points per game rank second on the team — brown has started slowly in ivy League play. However, the bears remain only one game behind dartmouth for a spot in ivy Madness with eight games left.

“right now, our mindset is simple: one

game at a time,” erold said. “We know every ivy League game is a battle, and our focus is on controlling what we can get better at each day.”

erold and Lesburt have been especially key in keeping the bears in playoff contention, with both having career-best seasons.

Lesburt, who is currently shooting a blistering 41% from three-point range, explained that “really diving into the mental side of the game” in the offseason has been the key to his big breakout.

“For me, i think this season is just a good example of preparation meeting opportunity,” he wrote. “earlier in my career at brown, i didn’t play much, and even when i did, my role wasn’t what it is now. but i always kept

my head down and worked, knowing that if i stayed ready, my time would eventually come.”

Lesburt emphasized the importance of preparation if the bears are to right the ship after a tough start to conference play. “Our mindset right now is to win every day, not just game days,” he wrote. “We know what we want to accomplish and what we need to do to achieve that.”

brown now shifts their focus to a Saturday afternoon date with Columbia in New york City.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 5, 2025.

Women’s basketball loses to Princeton at home, ending three-game win streak

Grace Arnolie ’26 scored her 1,000th career point on Saturday

BY COOPER HERMAN SENIOR STAFF WRITER

in a physical game beset by a fourth-quarter offensive drought, the women’s basketball team (10-10, 4-3 ivy) snapped their threegame win streak in a 60-47 loss to Princeton (15-5, 6-1 ivy) at the Pizzitola Sports Center on Saturday night.

The loss shifted the bears to fourth place in the ivy League standings.

“i thought the team battled really hard today and played to win with a lot of confidence,” said Head Coach Monique Leblanc in a statement to brown athletics. “i think we can point to a couple of stretches at different points in the game where we allowed Princeton to go on a run, and then had to spend a lot of energy and fight really hard to get back in front in those situations.”

but Saturday’s final score does not reflect the game’s course. despite being the underdog, the bears were aggressive from tip-off, out-hustling the Tigers for loose balls, dominating the glass on both sides of the ball and playing tenacious defense possession after possession. This impressive effort, which featured a 6-0 bruno run, kept it a two-possession game as the first quarter ended 20-15 in the Tigers’ favor.

The bears had no signs of slowing down yet, as the second quarter proved to be the

bears’ best. Fueled by Grace arnolie ’26, who found her offensive rhythm anywhere on the court, brown outscored a potent Princeton offense in the quarter, leaving the game tied with just a minute to go.

Just as the buzzer was about to sound, arnolie drew a foul and headed to the free throw line, knocking down two go–ahead free throws that eclipsed the 1,000th career point mark. arnolie became just the 25th player in program history to do so.

it was awesome,” arnolie said. “it feels great to hit one thousand on the home court and have my family and teammates around me. i couldn’t have done it without them.”

after a moment of celebration for arnolie’s historic mark, the bears headed to the locker room with a narrow two-point lead over the Tigers.

The third quarter was more of the same for both sides, as the two strong offenses went toe-to-toe. Princeton was fueled by three players — Fadima Tall, Skye belker and ashley Chea — all of whom scored in double figures and posed challenging assignments for brown defenders. but despite Princeton’s offensive success, the bears kept pace. beth Nelson ’26 was phenomenal, knocking down shots from inside and outside of the arc and keeping the bears alive. at the end of the third quarter, the game was all tied up at 43.

The fourth quarter was troubling for the bears, as the Princeton defense suffocated any offensive life brown had. Forcing turnovers, trapping the corners and blocking shots, Princeton was a force to

After a valiant effort from the Bears that featured Grace Arnolie ’26 scoring her 1,000th career point, Brown women’s basketball (10-10, 4-3 Ivy) lost 60-47 to Princeton (15-5, 6-1 Ivy), ending their three-game win streak and dropping them to fourth in the Ivy League standings.

be reckoned with on the defensive end, building an insurmountable lead late in the game that silenced a formerly-energetic Pizz crowd. The bears were outscored 17 to 4 in the final quarter of Saturday’s contest, with buckets from arnolie and alyssa Moreland ’26 being the only brown scores of the quarter.

“i think Princeton’s a super tough team,” arnolie said in an interview with

The Herald. “i think we did a good job of sticking with them for the first three quarters, but they really turned it on in the fourth quarter, and i think we ran out of gas a little bit.”

i think from the game today we have a lot to build off,” Leblanc added.

The bears will have to shake off Saturday’s struggles and prepare for their next opponent, Columbia (16-4, 7-0 ivy), whom

they will host on Saturday in the Pizz at 2 p.m. The game will be an enormous opportunity for brown to bounce back and defeat the Lions who have won their last nine games and currently sit atop the ivy League standings. This article

On Friday, Kino Lilly Jr. came out of the gate scorching, knocking down five threes before the

Letter from the Editor

Dear Readers,

It’s been a recent era of new experiences for me: learning to drive, getting contacts so I can finally see(!), and spending 30 hours stuck in Heathrow Airport. As everyone lands back on campus and settles into the rhythms of the new semester, I’m struck by how much everything can change, yet how much things can feel the same. I can see much more clearly—faces, the branches splintering into sharp fractals, classes to drop before the deadline—but what I’m seeing is familiar and comforting. The landscape outside the MBTA window from South Station to Providence. My roommates sprawled across our rug, “Good Luck, Babe!” shuddering over the speakers. And of course, all the lovely, lovely people of post- around our a-little-too-cramped room on the second floor of 88 Benevolent St.

For our first issue of the volume, it’s fitting that our writers are also thinking about beginnings and endings, renewal and remaining. In Lifestyle, the managing editors are reflecting on first experiences, including first tattoos, a first(ish) intercollegiate competition, first relationship retellings. In Feature, Ivy writes an elegy for the trans kids “left behind” in her homestate of Texas. For Narrative, Joe reflects on a street named after him and changing legacies, while Vanessa remembers moments of enduring friendship through hardship. Then, Emily dives into the musical Miss Saigon’s history and her new experience watching it with her sister and mom. Before you end your post- reading, make sure you check out a new crossword by Ishan!

I’m glad that there are anchors in my life—these grounding people, places, and moments—even as the rest of life swirls in constant motion. I hope that as the new semester unfolds, you’re able to hold onto what comforts you (our new issue of post-, perhaps?) even as new experiences come and go.

Feeling new,

Emilie Guan Editor-in-Chief

“I feel like pickleball is like Wii tennis.”

“I’ll send you a fax from hell.”

1. Benson Boone

2. Bianca Censori

3. Jelly Roll

4. Abraham Lincoln

People You Didn’t Know Existed

5. Your Marriage Pact match

6. The BDH

7. The 13,000 voting members of The Recording Academy

8. Luka Doncic

9. DEI

10. That MCM professor

4 8

“The caress of those fingers, dangerously cautious yet curious, lead me to believe that I am undeniably desired. How many moments follow the feeling of first love— that subtle mix of fear and pounding rush to experience everything all at once?”

— Gabi Yuan, “The Delicacy of Firsts” 02.08.24

“To be in the ‘middle of nowhere’—a place that has been an important somewhere all along— I think this action may be more ‘advanced’ than any skyscraper we could ever construct.”

all over Across Famous boxer Muhammad 1

by Ishan Khurana

— Ellyse Givens, “Into the Woods” 02.17.23 8 7 2 3 5 5

4 Tossed over the shoulder, as a backpack

6 Reef material, or a shade of pink

Black and white mammal (who has a red counterpart)

Something that can be marked as read, perhaps Down Texas fortress, or a car rental company 1

_____ New Year (the first day of the Year of the Snake)

Calcutta's country Blueprint detail ____ bladder

COMMENTARY

Bittker ’27: The case against student internships

Positions applied to on Handshake that you’ll likely never hear back from, a mountain of cover letters to fit every application, Linked i n posts from your peers flaunting their job acceptances: These are the emblems of the dreaded student internship search process. a s the summer draws closer and many of us scramble to muster some clarity over our professional pursuits before upcoming deadlines, it’s glaringly clear that internships have lost much of their value, more indicative of connections than qualifications. i t’s time employers and students alike reconsider the value of the fabled student internship — and instead prioritize more accessible and worthwhile parts of the college experience.

i f you’ve talked to a senior recently, you’ve probably heard about how hard it is to get a job these days. Gone are the days when a college — or even ivy League — degree was enough to stand out in the application process. it doesn’t help that an estimated four in 10 companies posted ghost jobs, or jobs that don’t actually exist, in 2024. These fake jobs not only frustrate applicants, but they also give the appearance that the job market is stronger than it actually is, gaslighting the multitudes of college graduates who are struggling to enter the workforce.

To get ahead in this competitive job market, many students rely on family connections to secure a job. This is only compounded by the existence of nepotism in the internship selection process, further stacking the deck against groups like first-generation college students who have historically struggled in the job market. e ven getting an internship has become a herculean task, with some students applying to hundreds of opportu -

nities before finally landing even just one. With many entry-level jobs now requiring years of prior work experience, students unable to acquire a summer internship face real consequences. These implications have created a high-pressure environment on college campuses across the country. a s a sophomore, i ’ve felt this stress at b rown, and it has led me to apply

if it’s just to ensure that the investment pays off. This is visible in the fact that a school as laidback as b rown has over a dozen different undergraduate clubs focused on helping students break into professional industries. There is no reason students fresh out of high school should be worrying about getting into these pre-professional clubs, many of which require extensive applica -

“ “

It’s time employers and students alike reconsider the value of the fabled student internship — and instead prioritize more accessible and worthwhile parts of the college experience.

to dozens of summer internships in a variety of fields. While some of these opportunities are genuinely interesting to me, i find myself applying to things out of fear rather than passion more often than not. i ’m terrified of the possibility that i ’ll spend my summer doing something i can’t put on my resume, and i doubt i ’m alone in this feeling.

a s the price of attending college rises, getting a bachelor’s degree has become less about education and more about finding an internship, even

tions — just like the internships they claim to help their members land. a s students, we should be focused on learning and discovering what we want to do with our lives. instead, we are expected to get internships that are relevant to our careers before we’ve even graduated, at the risk of not being competitive applicants in the future. While universities like b rown still try to prioritize career exploration through approaches like the Open Curriculum, companies rely on internships to lock down young talent as soon

Tao ’27: Give until your pockets hurt

When i was 10 years old, my father began to grant me an allowance of $3 per week. a long with my first week’s allowance, he gave me three glass jars labeled “give,” “save” and “spend,” into which i was required to put one dollar each. My father explained that there were three basic uses for money: giving, saving and spending — and that giving was the most important. e very year at Christmas, i would empty the $52 from my giving jar and choose charities and nonprofits i wanted to donate to.

i n this way, regular giving became a habit that i ’ve kept with me as i ’ve grown up, even as my income surpassed $3 per week. When i had my first job, i donated my entire first paycheck. On birthdays, i ask my family to give donations in my name instead of buying me new socks. a nd every holiday season, i set aside 10% of my after-tax income to give away.

Now, i ’m not claiming to be some kind of great philanthropist. This is just a habit i ’ve maintained because i was taught the importance of giving from an early age, so it comes as naturally as brushing my teeth. you can do it too! i n fact, just like brushing your teeth, you should do it if you’re not already. i ’m calling on you — yes, you — to set up a recurring donation to a mutual aid organization of your choice.

it doesn’t matter if you’re a fourth-grader giving $52 per year, or a billionaire giving a small

fortune, or anywhere in between — what matters is sacrifice. Christian intellectual C.S. Lewis has some useful wisdom on the topic of giving: “ i f our charities do not at all pinch or hamper us, i should say they are too small.” This is why we roll our eyes when billionaires cut the ribbons on the hospitals they’ve financed before flying home in their private jets. They’ve given plenty of money, but it cost them close to nothing.

i t’s easy to criticize billionaires, but much harder to change our own habits. i t’s tempting to procrastinate giving until we have a regular job and income, but i insist that we must start now, whatever now looks like. i know from experience that building habits is important. i f you practice tightening your belt to give in college, it will be far easier later on when you’re making six figures.

Why give? Much of the literature on generosity focuses on the scientifically proven health benefits to the giver: lower blood pressure, less stress, a better immune system and a brighter mood. e ven putting aside my suspicions of the confounding effects of the placebo effect and social desirability bias — study participants may be more likely to inflate their satisfaction after giving because that’s how it’s “supposed to” feel — i think that touting the health benefits of generosity misses the point. i t treats giving as just another consumer decision, on the same or-

It doesn’t matter if you’re a fourthgrader giving $52 per year, or a billionaire giving a small fortune, or anywhere in between — what matters is sacrifice. “ “

as possible. Things like return offers and assessment-based hiring have made it painfully obvious that internships are no longer a tool for student self-discovery. i nstead, they exist primarily to give companies a steady supply of undergraduates who have little other experience or options. This predatory system is most visible in fields like finance, where interns often work 70 to 80 hours a week only to graduate into higher-pressure roles. r ather than travel, work at a local business or spend time with family, the current system encourages students to spend their last free summers before retirement in a dingy office building in New york City. This is both unsustainable and cruel. r ecent increases in college enrollment, outsourcing and ai have all contributed to an incredibly competitive white-collar labor market, and internships continue to be the gold standard for how companies evaluate applicants for competitive positions. i nstead of focusing so much on internships, companies should prioritize other activities like undergraduate research, personal projects and part-time jobs when evaluating candidates — and make entry-level jobs entry-level again. a s students, we can do our part by recognizing that internships are only one part of our college experience. Clubs, classes and friendships can be just as, if not more, valuable, so let’s enjoy them while we still can.

Gray Bittker ’27 can be reached at gray_bittker@brown. edu. Please send responses to this op-ed to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com

der of significance as buying a Peloton. i f you’re asking, “How good will i feel after donating this sum of money?” you’re asking the wrong question. Feel-good giving, even on a small scale, is no different from the saccharine elite philanthropy we all love to hate.

The point of giving radically is that it teaches you this critical lesson: i t’s not about you. Giving is not a monetary transaction, but a spiritual discipline by which we learn to think of ourselves less and others more.

i f you believe, as i do, that the distribution of wealth in this country is fundamentally unfair and predicated not on talent or ingenuity or virtue but the pure dumb luck of the ovarian lottery, then what right do you have to hoard your money? The only sane response that i can see is to even out the playing field, one donation at a time.

There is no shortage of worthy causes to give to. To provide some guidance, i prefer to give to organizations that are local or that i ’ve worked with before. i n this way, giving can be part of an ongoing relationship between you and the organization. This is an important difference between mutual aid and charity: Mutual aid builds symbiotic relationships, not unequal exchanges between desperate people and powerful organizations. So, to begin that relationship, find a group fighting for a cause that you care about, especially one run by a friend or neighbor. Then, you know the drill: Give until your pockets hurt.

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

CHLOe JOHNSON / HeraLd

Aizenberg ’26: If you are a labor group at Brown, it pays to be an elite one

in 2022, brown faced two major labor disputes. The first organized by computer science teaching assistants and the second led by brown dining hall workers. in an open letter to the CS department and university administration, the CS Tas described “distressing and exhausting” working conditions and unfair pay. Citing similar issues, brown dining hall staff members called for higher wages and increased staffing. eventually, both labor groups successfully reached an agreement with the university.

The Tas, however, received more support from both the students and university relative to dining hall workers as a result of their cultural and financial leverage. in short: if you are a labor group at brown, it pays to be an elite one.

While the Tas and the administration continued to engage in contentious negotiations after their one-year interim agreement expired, the outcome was largely favorable for them. The Tas received an increased say in departmental proceedings, more clearly defined roles and hour restrictions that most professors dutifully followed. The brown dining hall workers, on the other hand, continued to suffer from understaffing, faulty machinery and increasingly expensive parking fees that negated a substantial part of their pay raise.

While Tas and dining hall workers both deserved better treatment, Tas were not the more urgent case. after all, applications for computer science Ta positions would not be competitive if their working conditions were truly abysmal. regardless, being a computer science Ta at an ivy League university is a privilege. Students gain valuable teaching and coding experience and receive a strong resume boost. While the pay raise was surely helpful for Tas, most were likely not financially dependent on their wages, given that the median family income of a brown student was $204,000 in 2017. and even for those who need the money, this reliance is likely temporary — computer science graduates from brown have lucrative job prospects, often ending up at high-paying (and, ironically, aggressively anti-union) companies like Meta, amazon and Google.

in stark contrast, the dining hall workers’ livelihoods likely depend on their jobs, which do not offer the same upward mobility. Moreover, their work is physically and mentally exhausting, requiring them to stand for hours on end, cooking, serving and cleaning up after hungry and sometimes impatient college students.

despite these high stakes, the labor struggle of dining hall workers was not met with the same enthusiasm. While there were strong expressions of support in 2021, the student response in 2022

was lackluster, perhaps overshadowed by the more visible computer science Ta dispute. even the relatively well-attended protest that took place

leverage that helped the Tas have their demands heard.

This is not to say these struggles are in direct

“ “

Their demands were framed in terms that resonated with the administration and student body, signaling that their struggle was not only about wages or working conditions but also about aligning with the broader values of the institution.

in late 2024 was largely composed of local Providence laborers and labor leaders — most students are probably unaware it happened. as a result,

competition, but energy and attention are limited and the more pressing cause was clearly that of the dining hall workers. yet the response of the stu-

these workers were left in a relatively more vulnerable position, lacking both the widespread campus backing and the symbolic capital and institutional

Editorial: Who are we?

Since 2009, The b rown d aily Herald’s editorial page board has provided the b rown community with “informed commentary on topics that are timely, relevant and thought-provoking” as an institutional voice independent from the newsroom. Given increasing ideological divides and political upheavals defining life both on and off campus, we, as the current editorial page board, want to clarify our mission.

We are a group of eight writers — including opinions editors, staff columnists, copy editors and designers — representing all class years, a plethora of concentrations and diverse backgrounds. Our purpose is to write on topics that inspire meaningful discourse, reflect on pressing societal concerns and speak directly to life on College Hill. The world is filled with issues b runonians are passionate about, but we will only provide editorials relevant to our position as students at b rown. While we’d like to comment on all important events that are unraveling across the globe, it’s often not our place to do so.

Our goal is not to echo the collective voice of the student body but to present our own judgment based on the distinct perspectives

dent body did not seem to reflect this truth. The computer science Ta union galvanized the school: pro-Ta union rallies drew strong support, hun-

dreds of students joined the union and endorsed its mission and its instagram account amassed nearly 800 followers. This widespread student backing pressured the university to not only meet the Tas’ demands during negotiations but also to uphold its commitments afterward.

The attention disparity is unfair but not surprising. The Tas speak the cultural and institutional language of the university. Their demands were framed in terms that resonated with the administration and student body, signaling that their struggle was not only about wages or working conditions but also about aligning with the broader values of the institution. For instance, their push to secure dedicated diversity, equity and inclusion staff for the department addressed a real concern, but, at the same time, reinforced their status as insiders, attuned to the ideological priorities of elite academia. The dining hall workers’ struggle, however, was centered on material conditions, such as low wages, grueling work and job security, that lacked the symbolic status needed to mobilize support.

There were also financial reasons for why the university prioritized the Tas over the dining hall workers. These students, who are on track for high-paying careers, are prospective future donors that the university wants to keep satisfied. additionally, because many of these Tas were financially secure, they could quit at any time and bring the heavily Ta-dependent computer science department to a standstill. dining hall workers, however, could not abruptly quit, as they are dependent on their jobs for day-to-day income. interestingly, one reason the university may have addressed some of the dining hall workers’ concerns, such as outdated machinery, may be to ensure the quality of campus dining—an amenity that, ironically, is meant to attract students like the Tas themselves. as a computer science Ta i appreciated the higher pay and better hours. but i would have been willing to work mostly for the experience or even academic credit, as some Tas do. The improved conditions were not life-changing. For brown dining hall workers, however, similar improvements would have meant far more, as they support families with their wages. While helping both groups would have been ideal, i find it ironic that the labor group that received more recognition and support was that of ivy League software engineers, not the actual employees working in the dining hall.

Ben Aizenberg ’26 can be reached at benjamin_aizenberg@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.

commitment to our shared values.

pus, but the editorial page board hopes to take into consideration the interests of as wide a range of b rown students as possible. We do

We do not know what the coming months will bring, but we are resolved to meet whatever comes with curiosity, conviction and an unwavering commitment to our shared values. “ “

brought to the table by the members of the board. We recognize that we will never be able to integrate every perspective present on cam -

not know what the coming months will bring, but we are resolved to meet whatever comes with curiosity, conviction and an unwavering

This commitment to uphold our values is especially crucial in times of political turbulence, when institutions and individuals alike are tested. a s President Trump’s second term ushers in a new era of uncertainty, especially in higher education, the editorial page board will remain grounded, reject party lines and aim to reason through critical thought alone. We will agree, and we will dissent. a nd, ultimately, we will always be guided by our commitment to the b rown community.

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board, and its views are separate from those of The Herald’s newsroom and the 135th Editorial Board, which leads the paper. This editorial was written by the editorial page board’s members, Ethan Canfield ’28, Rchin Bari ’28, Christian Davis ’27, Paul Hudes ’27, Paulie Malherbe ’26, Ben Aizenberg ’26, Tas Rahman ’26 and Meher Sandhu ’25.5.

ARTS & CULTURE

AWARD SHOWS

2025 Grammy Awards pays touching tribute to Los Angeles and its artists

The awards featured performances and provocative speeches

BY ANN GRAY GOLPIRA SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Swifties sat on the edge of their seats, anxiously awaiting a potential “reputation (Taylor’s Version)” announcement. “Wicked” fans erupted into cheers on Cynthia erivo’s starting note. Casual viewers settled in on a snowy Sunday night. The 2025 Grammys had something for everyone — whether to critique or to applaud.

Hosting the annual awards show for the fifth time, comedian Trevor Noah kicked off the program by joking that Lady Gaga’s upcoming album “Mayhem” predicted the “theme of 2025” and that Taylor Swift’s eras tour had “more people traveling than those Turkish hair implants.”

Noah quickly established the theme of the night as a tribute both to music and the city that gave rise to so much of it: Los angeles. Throughout the show, he repeatedly encouraged the audience to donate to fire relief efforts following a series of deadly wildfires in Southern California.

billie eilish and FiNNeaS were among the first to take the stage, performing “birdS OF a FeaTHer” off of eilish’s latest album, “HiT Me Hard aNd SOFT.” The album was nominated for seven awards — but did not win any.

Next, Sabrina Carpenter took the stage to perform a compilation of some of her biggest hits from the year. Her boundless energy and phenomenal stage presence

REVIEW

‘Hurry

were a fitting prelude to her best Pop Vocal album win later that night for her album “Short n’ Sweet.” after a stunning performance from singer-songwriter r aye and a Simone biles-esque backflip from skin tight jumpsuit-clad “beautiful Things” singer benson boone, Cynthia erivo took to the stage with a breathtaking rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon.”

doechii, who performed at brown’s own Spring Weekend a mere two years ago, also took to the stage to perform “CaTFiSH” and “deNiaL iS a riVer ,” both from her 2024 album “alligator bites Never Heal.” She won best rap album for the mixtape, making her the third woman in history to claim the award.

Other notable wins included Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like us” for Song of the year

and record of the year wins for “Not Like us,” Chappell roan for best New artist and beyonce’s “COWbOy CarTer” for album of the year.

Online, fans heatedly debated this outcome, arguing that while “COWbOy CarTer” was undoubtedly good, its popularity did not rival that of its opponents.

Throughout its 27 track score, “COWbOy CarTer” gracefully blends a wide

array of genres, melodies and production styles, a feat that most listeners — and evidently the 1,300 voters of the recording academy — truly can’t contest. a sobering moment of the night was roan’s callout to the working conditions in the music industry. While accepting her best New artist award, she recalled examples of mistreatment by her record label.

“Labels, we got you, but do you got us?” roan asked.

The show also featured a touching dedication to composer and producer Quincy Jones, best known for his contribution to Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Will Smith, marking his first award show appearance since the infamous Oscars slap, opened the tribute by claiming that “you probably wouldn’t know who Will Smith was if it wasn’t for Quincy Jones.” Smith added that the 28-time Grammy-winning producer brought “the best out in legends.”

Musical tributes to Jones included erivo’s rendition of “Fly Me to the Moon,” Lainey Wilson and Jacob Collier’s performance of “Let the Good Times roll” and finally Janelle Monáe’s dynamic cover of “don’t Stop ‘Til you Get enough.”

With moments like eilish yelling “i love you L a” at the end of her performance, the ceremony reminded viewers and entertainers of the gravity of the L a fires while simultaneously serving as a touching celebration of the communal love for the city and its creatives.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 4, 2025.

Up Tomorrow’ is a boring return to what the Weeknd does best

Album is a vocal and technical masterpiece — but far from innovative

BY ALYSSIA OUHOCINE SENIOR STAFF WRITER

On Friday, the Weeknd released “Hurry up Tomorrow” — his latest album and the conclusion to the musical trilogy that began with “after Hours” in 2020 and continued with “dawn FM” in 2022.

but after the album’s release, it’s clear that the long-awaited “Hurry up Tomorrow” keeps in line with the nature of his past work — perhaps to the record’s detriment. The album is unabashed in its expressions of infidelity, excessive drug use and depression.

The album has an exciting opening with “Wake Me up,” featuring Justice, a French electronic music duo. The song’s immersive soundscape conjures up elements of 1970s disco that offsets the Weeknd’s heartbreaking lyrics, which convey a darkness that is both haunting and sensual.

all the songs on the album are buttressed by excellent production — something the Weeknd has become known for over the course of his career. When listened to chronologically, the album’s transitions blend seamlessly with one another and enhance the cinematic experience of the album. even the 12-second interlude “i Can’t Fucking Sing” is immersive enough to offer the perfect transition to “São Paulo” — the album’s second single, featuring brazilian superstar anitta, that has taken the internet by storm. “São Paulo” is electrifying: anitta’s inspired feature induces a drama that ensures the song is

a fan-favorite. it’s the standout moment of the record.

The album’s star-studded lineup of artist features sets it apart from its two counterparts in the trilogy. “reflections Laughing” features Travis Scott and Florence + The Machine, and is elevated by Travis Scott’s distorted rap segment. but the song isn’t perfect: an unneeded and outdated voicemail detracts from the record, and Florence + The Machine’s feature is less obvious to listeners.

Future and Giorgio Moroder also have feature credits, but neither are as memorable as Lana del rey’s on the track

“The abyss.” del rey has a long history of collaboration with the Weeknd, most notably on the song “Stargirl interlude” from his 2016 album “Starboy.” While not nearly as iconic as the “Stargirl interlude,”

“The abyss” is atmospheric and places the pair’s powerful vocals on center stage. despite the distinctive features, the album begins to drag by its midpoint. With a bloated, nearly 90-minute runtime, the songs begin to meld into one another. This does not negate the Weeknd’s emotional, powerful vocals and the album’s technical dominance — each song is a musical triumph that plays to all of the Weeknd’s strengths. When listened to separately, they are formidable pieces of a story that he has been writing for years. but combined in one record and listened to successively, they are exhausting and repetitive.

“baptized in Fear” and numerous songs in the latter half of the album are deeply forgettable. The line “oh, no, i’m in my feelings” in the song “enjoy the Show” is representative of the album’s shortcoming — the Weeknd is always “in his feelings.” While that presents the opportunity to

create deeply impactful art, the Weeknd has yet to find a way to sonically and lyrically diversify his discography. even Future seems to flatline on the song, making his feature decidedly lackluster.

The album does have its strong points, though. its lead single “Timeless” breaks up the monotony, but it’s not nearly as pleading as the lyrics of “Open Hearts,” which soars with d aft Punk-esque production. “Given up On Me” mixes the Weeknd’s signature ballad style with the noticeable touches of Metro boomin, one of the track’s producers.

The highlight of the album is “Hurry up Tomorrow,” the album’s final and title track. The song is the ultimate combina-

tion of the Weeknd’s powerful vocals, an emotional piano background and vulnerable songwriting — a fitting ending to the Weeknd’s story. Lyrics like “i want heaven when i die / i want to change / i want the pain no more,” suggest the artist is heading towards a new chapter. Fittingly, after this album, abel Tesfaye — the man better known as the Weeknd — plans to retire the stage name.

The dramatic themes explored within the record are compelling and the individual songs showcase what the Weeknd does best: telling stories. each track in “Hurry up Tomorrow” possesses the trademark style cultivated over the course of his career but fails to reinvent the wheel on which it spins.

but even though the album has been released, the story isn’t over. in May 2025, the artist’s film of the same name will attempt to translate the album’s content onto the big screen with the help of stars like Jenna Ortega and barry Keoghan.

The Canadian singer-songwriter initially postponed the album’s release and a corresponding Los angeles show “out of respect and concern” for the city’s residents, who spent much of January facing wildfires.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 3, 2025.

Each track in “Hurry Up Tomorrow” possesses the trademark style the Weeknd has cultivated over the course of his career, but fails to reinvent the wheel it spins on.

The 2025 Grammys had something for everyone to both critique and applaud.

EXHIBITION

‘After Hours’: A glimpse into

Annual exhibition represents creative processes after working hours

BY MARIA KIM CONTRIBUTING WRITER

b rown’s annual “a fter Hours” staff exhibition, which displays select artworks by b rown staff members, will be open in the Granoff Center for the Creative a rts until Feb. 19.

The exhibition, which is hosted by the b rown a rts i nstitute, showcases staff members’ creative undertakings outside their full-time positions at b rown, according to bai Curatorial Coordinator Kate Hao.

d ue to limited space, staff artists submit pieces to be evaluated and showcased in the exhibition by the bai committee, said featured staff artist Corey Fitzgerald, a licensed mental health counselor and outreach coordinator at Counseling and Psychological Services.

The exhibition currently displays a

Brown staff’s artistic 5-to-9s after their 9-to-5s

variety of mediums, from photography to still-life paintings to pottery.

Fitzgerald is one of many staff artists whose work highlights their cultural and familial lives. His pottery piece, titled “ e choes of Omashu: i nfusing b lackness in aTL a ,” includes two bookends covered in a series of etchings — called sgraffito — inspired by the chutes in the e arth Kingdom from the animated show “avatar: The Last a irbender.”

To Fitzgerald, the kingdom of Omashu represents connection.

“ i really like the idea of infusing b lackness through an idea of community and connection,” Fitzgerald said. “ b eing Southern and b lack and also being raised by a grandmother (meant) community was huge.”

Fitzgerald, who also displayed a pottery piece in last year’s exhibition, emphasized the importance of balancing work with hobbies and passions.

“ i allow myself to be not that great at (pottery),” he said, adding that work is easier “when you have passions and hobbies that you don’t need to make

PERFORMANCE

money off of.”

Geeta Jakkaraju, a learning designer at the Sheridan Center for Learning, is another staff artist whose work — e choes of Tribal Life - Warli” — is inspired by folk art. Warli painting is a tribal art form from i ndia, famous for its distinct stick-figure patterns.

“What i’m hoping for is when viewers are looking at my art, it evokes a sense of joy and calmness,” Jakkaraju said.

“ i also want to have them connect to the stories i ’m telling through my artwork,” she added, referring to the three subtitles under her painted vases, titled “Nature,” “Community Connection” and “ e veryday Life.”

Jakkaraju, who started painting vases in 2022, conducts painting workshops on the weekends.

Jerrie Lyndon-Sylvia, an a rtsCrew member at bai , has a piece in the exhibit depicting the vine of a pumpkin.

“ i felt that there was so much movement in that moment,” she said. “a lmost like a human-like emotion of attachment to something.”

‘Hero’ brings joy, resilience and resistance to the stage

Play in development was performed at Rites & Reason theatre

BY NORA ROWE CONTRIBUTING WRITER

When attending “HerO: a Play in development,” audience members are held in the lobby before being brought into the George Houston bass Performing arts Space. upon entering, attendees are invited to step onstage and play a game.

The two-player show “Hero” starring Vuyolwethu Sotashe and Kineta Kunutu incorporated childhood games, songs and rhymes into a story of two children coming of age in post-apartheid South africa.

The play, which is still in development, was performed at the rites and reason Theatre last weekend. The performance holds roots in South african protest theater, which was developed in resistance to apartheid.

“artists of all kinds were using their talent and craft and skills to protest and subvert the systems of oppression that were taking place in South africa,” according to Shariffa ali, director and co-creator of “Hero.” ali is also a guest director-in-residence at the rites and reason Theatre.

in South african protest theater, performers did not use scripts. “if they had a script, that could be used as evidence of

an illegal gathering,” said Oluwasiji Soetan ’25, the assistant choreographer of “Hero.” Modeled after this form, “Hero” also had no script. The cast and crew convened at the theater three days before opening night to develop the production.

in a Q&a session immediately following the performance, choreographer Ogemdi ude told the audience that her favorite part of theater is its adaptability.

While the play was originally envisioned for older audiences, its accessibility to all ages and the presence of younger audience members enhanced the experience.

Gina rodriguez-drix ’09, the events and performances manager at the theater, said she hoped “Hero” would bring a “spirit of joy, resilience and resistance” to the stage.

ali noted a large portion of the creative

team holds a marginalized identity. “For us to make a play about joy and triumph and overcoming obstacles is an act of resistance because our system doesn’t want people who look like us to thrive,” ali said.

The main conflict of “Hero” was a real event in Sotashe’s childhood: having to dress up in a girl’s skirt to perform as a soprano in his school choir. “The act of remembering is a collaborative thing,”

Sotashe told the audience as part of the performance. “Can you help me?”

Sotashe then proceeded to draw a box around himself in chalk, speaking about his adolescence and “the many boxes, small or big, that we would put ourselves into or walk away from: to protect ourselves, to pretend like we were a part of something.” Later, this same chalk box served as a “dressing room” for an intimate, silent scene in which Sotashe tried on the girl’s uniform, grappling with his own journey with gender and queerness.

The first version of “Hero” was performed last year, and this year’s show was a follow-up to the original performance. after the production, the cast and crew collected feedback for a possible next assembly of the play.

Throughout “Hero,” the audience was invited tŚŚ=o join the performers onstage in games that members of the creative team would play growing up in South africa. Over the course of the production, the two performers danced, played hide-andseek, jumped over ropes and instructed the audience in song. “What’s been really amazing to me about this process is how open the audiences have been to playing,” said Joanna ruth evans, the co-creator of “Hero.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 2, 2025.

Modeled after this form, “Hero” also had no script. The cast and crew convened at the theater three days before opening night to develop the production.

SOPH

SCIENCE & RESEARCH

PHYSICS

Brown researchers observe new class of quantum particles

Fractional excitons hold many implications for quantum computing

BY LEAH KORITZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Physics students across the world learn about different types of particles, from matter particles to force-carrying particles. but now, these aspiring physicists may have to learn about a new type of particle: fractional excitons.

earlier this January, a brown research team published a study proving the existence of fractional excitons — novel particles that defy traditional understanding of quantum mechanics and have not been experimentally observed until now.

“We knew that these (fractional excitons) exist, but we (only) knew them from theoretical calculations,” said Navketan batra GS, a brown physics Phd student and the study’s lead theorist. but first, what is quantum mechanics?

dima Feldman, physics professor and a researcher in the study, said that if he explains the topic to high schoolers, he uses the metaphor of a piece of construction paper that can be cut until it is infinitely small and no longer retains its original properties.

Feldman would take out a piece of colored construction paper, and show it to the room.

“everyone understands what color it is,” he said. “We understand where it is. We understand it doesn’t conduct electricity.” but when he cuts the paper in half over and over again, “at some point it will become extremely tiny, and the primal properties would change,” he said. “The color will be different. it will begin conducting

HEALTH

electricity, and all sorts of other things will happen.”

The study of these characteristics — the behavior of particles that are the same size or smaller than atoms — is known as quantum mechanics.

One type of particle important in quantum mechanics is the exciton: a combination of a negative electron and the positive hole that it is attracted to. in this study, the researchers aimed to “push this understanding one step further and try to see if we can get excitons that coexist with the fractional quantum Hall effect,” said Jia Li, associate professor of physics and the study’s principal investigator.

This effect causes excitons to exhibit fractional electronic charges, rather than integer values.

“This is kind of amazing,” Li said. “The charge of an electron is a fundamental unit, and a fraction of this charge should not exist.”

as excitons carry no net charge, they are extremely difficult to detect. and fractional excitons have been impossible to detect or observe until now, according to batra. in addition to experimentally observing fractional excitons, the researchers also proved that the particles can be controlled, which was previously thought to be impossible due to their lack of a charge, he explained.

To control the excitons, the researchers used two two-dimensional graphene layers, which are “single layers of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice,” according to ron Nguyen GS, another Phd student who worked on the study.

The researchers gave these layers electrical charges, allowing the layers to bind to the electrically neutral exciton, Feldman

These novel fractional excitons exhibit the fractional quantum Hall effect, where “electrons interact with them so strongly that they actually split into fractional charge particles,” Associate Professor of Physics Jia Li said.

said. Now, the exciton can be probed using an electric current.

This research has many practical applications, particularly for quantum computers — machines that harness quantum physics to compute large amounts of information. as they exist today, quantum computers are powerful but get overwhelmed

easily, batra explained.

“Noise can really disrupt the whole system,” he said.

because fractional excitons have less noise, they can be used to create a computer that will not get overwhelmed as easily.

“We are now able to not only control the motion of electrons, but also directly

engineer the internal structures of quantum particles,” Li said. “That itself is quite promising in terms of how we can consider building future electronic devices.”

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

Brown launches initiative to explore connection between environment and health

The Planetary Health Initiative finds solutions to health impacts

BY JONATHAN KIM

SENIOR STAFF WRITER

Last month, brown’s division of and Medicine announced the launch of the Planetary Health initiative, which aims to study the relationship between human-in duced environmental changes and health.

as the climate warms to record highs — a phenomenon scientists primarily attribute to human activity — the health of many communities is threatened by environmen tal impacts ranging from extreme weather events to increased risk of zoonotic disease spread, according to Kyle denison Martin, the initiative’s co-director.

The PHi hopes to protect local and global communities from these negative health impacts, and to integrate the field of plane tary health into undergraduate and graduate curricula, Martin said.

in alignment with the division’s four pillars — educational opportunities, research, clinical work and community engagement — the initiative will be a col lective effort, incorporating the efforts of clinicians, researchers, scientists and students, Martin said.

Wang ’22 Md’26.

“We’re trying to recognize all the factors that contribute to a patient’s health, and one of those increasing factors is the role climate change plays in our lives,”

tigate whether vulnerable populations, such as the unhoused, elderly and low-income communities, are at “higher risk of weather-related illness or heat-related illness”

to rising temperatures in rhode island.

The multidrug-resistant fungus Candida auris — which researchers believe could have developed in part from warming temperatures — poses severe risks to immu-

The initiative emerged from the efforts of Warren alpert students to view medicine through a more holistic lens, said emily

use of bulk-packaged scalpel blades, rather than the more common individually plastic-wrapped ones. Martin said the PHi also plans to inves-

interested in the field.

due to their living conditions.

Lastly, the PHi aims to address the growing spread of infectious diseases due

While the PHi’s official mission will be determined by a steering committee composed of clinicians and researchers in the coming months, student engagement will be a focus, Smith said. The PHi will also soon “issue a call for student committee participation,” according to the launch announcement.

While the initiative is still in its early stages, the committee is already working quickly to showcase the work they have in store. The division of biology and Medicine will host their inaugural Planetary Health Symposium on May 1, which will include panels, a student poster event and guest speakers, according to Smith. This

undergraduates can pursue the planetary health track within the health and human biology concentration or take courses like biOL1255: “Climate Change and Health: infections and inequalities” and biOL1455: “Planetary Health: Global environmental Change and emerging infectious disease.” The Pathobiology Graduate Program gives students the opportunity to integrate the environment and health into their studies, while Warren alpert Medical School students can engage with the elective planetary health scholarly concentration to conduct project-based work in the field. ut outside of academic pursuits, the initiative also hopes to create opportunities for students in clinical research and community engagement projects, said Kate Smith, the initiative’s co-director and the senior associate dean of biology education.

ACADEMICS

Trading computers for composition books: Tech-free classrooms at Brown

A number of professors have banned technology in class

BY LEAH KORITZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER

in a number of classrooms across campus, a notable part of modern life is missing: technology. rather than scribbling away with apple Pencils, students write with ballpoint pens.

despite the exploding popularity of digital note-taking, some professors are choosing to go tech-free.

For James Kuzner, a professor of english, a tech-free policy is nothing new. He has prohibited technology in his courses for the last 10 years.

When Kuzner was preparing to begin teaching at brown, he sat in on a colleague’s Shakespeare class that allowed the use of computers.

“Two-thirds of the students had their computers up,” Kuzner said. “They were not using them to take notes. They were on Facebook. They were on eSPN.com. They were on Twitter. They were not paying attention to anything that she was saying.”

“i thought to myself, ‘i’m not living like that,’” he added.

during the first class of the semester, there is always a “brief flash of fury” on students’ faces when he tells them to put their computers away, Kuzner recalled.

STUDENT LABOR

rebecca Weitz-Shapiro — an associate professor of political science — bans computers in larger lectures but allows them in smaller classes. To her, it seems “unreasonable and unrealistic” to print out long papers and book chapters for reading-heavy seminars.

Technology increases the likelihood of students multitasking, which is why Weitz-Shapiro began the device prohibition.

Weitz-Shapiro views banning technology as “giving students the opportunity to actually focus on one thing for 50 or 80 minutes.”

“it’s a gift to practice being denied the possibility of having your attention in multiple places at once,” she added.

Katherine rieser, the director of teacher education and a senior lecturer in education, shares Weitz-Shapiro’s perspective on multitasking.

“When we talk about the idea of multitasking, what you’re really doing is flitting back and forth quickly between topics, as opposed to actually doing two things at once,” rieser explained. While those “micro-movements” can feel productive, in reality, they are not, she added.

rieser cited her own distraction while using computers as one of the reasons she banned technology. She teaches eduC 1675: “The Psychology of Teaching and Learning,” where she is implementing a “completely analog” policy this semester for the first time.

No technology is allowed in rieser’s course, with the exception of students with accommodations.

Kuzner has also considered the impact of his technology policy on students with accommodations, calling his screen ban “a little bit double-edged.”

“i do occasionally think about whether it’s the case that some students with these accommodations shy away from my classes because they don't want to feel self-conscious about needing their laptop or their tablet,” Kuzner said.

researchers have tried to decipher the effect of technology’s increasingly large presence on learning.

a widely-cited 2014 study found that students typing their notes were more likely to transcribe what the professor was saying word-for-word than students writing notes on paper. The study found that typing notes verbatim decreases internalization and processing measures in the brain.

in addition, a 2024 study found that the physical process of handwriting notes helps the brain forge connections that facilitate learning.

but there are also times when technology use can benefit the classroom, according to daniel Oppenheimer, a professor of psychology and decision sciences at Carnegie Mellon university and one of the authors of the 2014 study.

“The benefits and drawbacks of techfree policies are nuanced and context dependent,” Oppenheimer wrote in an email

to The Herald.

as long as students are staying on task, they can still learn effectively with computers, a 2020 study found. but the study also found that computers’ potential distractions decrease learning. despite the computers’ negative effects on learning, many professors allow and embrace technology.

Kuzner explained that the reason he thinks more teachers are not going technology-free is because they worry students will be deterred from enrolling in their class.

“We have such a competitive shopping period here,” he added.

Savannah Weathers ’27 took Weitz-Shapiro’s computer-free class last semester. She did not know that the class was techfree before it started and typically takes notes on her computer or iPad.

“i don’t completely mind paper notes, but i think it is really helpful to have the option to use a computer,” Weathers said in an interview with The Herald.

Weathers noted that it was sometimes difficult to write down all the content from Weitz-Shapiro’s lectures. in retrospect, though, Weathers understood Weitz-Shapiro’s rationale.

“i do feel like it made me more engaged in the class,” Weathers said. “i could see why our professor wanted to do it.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 5, 2025.

With student labor rights in limbo, Brown's unions push for protection

The National Labor Relations Board may overrule union recognition

BY ETHAN SCHENKER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

uncertain that they will retain their right to unionize at the federal level, brown’s Graduate Labor Organization is seeking to codify student workers’ collective bargaining protections in rhode island state law.

GLO leaders are preparing for a potential overturning of the 2016 National Labor relations board decision that required private colleges and universities to recognize undergraduate and graduate student workers as employees, the union’s president, Michael Ziegler GS, told The Herald.

during President Trump’s first administration, the Trump-controlled board proposed a rule that would have effectively struck down the landmark ruling. it was later withdrawn under former President Joe biden’s NLrb

For months, the union’s leaders have worked with the rhode island aFL-CiO to help draft statewide legislation extending current unionzation protections if the NLrb excludes student workers from its jurisdiction, Ziegler said.

The legislation was introduced by the rhode island House deputy Majority Leader arthur Corvese (d-North Providence) in the form of an amendment to the state’s current Labor relations act.

Corvese did not respond to requests for comment.

This legislative push is just one of the union’s efforts to prepare for what its leaders see as a threat to their continued bargaining rights under the Trump administration. Last week, GLO and four other brown unions sent a letter to Provost

Francis doyle asking the university “to continue to recognize all the workers represented by Local 6516 as workers beyond the contracts that are currently in place or being bargained.”

in response to the letter, university Spokesperson brian Clark told The Herald “we do not work through the news media to address community concerns or questions — rather, we value direct engagement with community members.”

‘A strong likelihood’: Under Trump, the NLRB may reverse 2016 grad union ruling rhode island aFL-CiO President Patrick Crowley said that he believes the NLrb will likely reverse its 2016 decision.

Graduate student workers nationwide gained the right to unionize in 2016 when the NLrb ruled in favor of Columbia graduate assistants who had argued that they should be considered employees of the university.

Since then, graduate student unionization has swept across college campuses nationwide.

The NLrb is composed of five members appointed to five-year terms by the president. Over the years, it has grappled with the question of graduate student unionization, and has reversed its standing three times since 2000, including a 2004 ruling in favor of brown that rolled back some collective bargaining protections for student workers.

but the independent agency has been gridlocked since Jan. 27, when Trump fired a board member for the first time in the board’s 89-year history.

Trump fired biden-appointed member Gwynne Wilcox, leaving the board unable to reach a three-person quorum and setting off a legal battle over the president’s authority to remove a sitting member. Wilcox was confirmed for a five-year term by the Senate in September 2023, and the National

Labor relations act prohibits the president from firing a board member except in cases of “neglect of duty or malfeasance in office.”

The White House and the NLrb did not respond to requests for comment.

in an interview with The Herald, former NLrb Chairman Mark Gaston Pearce said that there is “a strong likelihood” that the board will attempt to overturn the Columbia decision once it reaches a quorum. Pearce served on the board from 2010 to 2018 and signed on to the majority opinion in the 2016 decision.

What could happen following a reversal in 2004, under then-President George W. bush, the NLrb reversed a 2000 decision that sided with Nyu graduate assistants. Nyu subsequently unrecognized a union of its graduate students.

if the NLrb overturned Columbia, “collective bargaining agreements that have been executed would be honored, but as soon as they expire, universities could very well state that the union should be decertified,” Pearce said.

at brown, union leaders hope that the university will continue to bargain with them “regardless of what changes might take place at the National Labor relations board,” Ziegler said.

but unionized workers are still taking steps to prepare for the possibility that brown might decline to recognize student unions beyond the expiration of their current contracts.

“it’s a hypothetical that we’re taking seriously,” Ziegler said, adding that GLO has not received an indication that the university will stop recognizing the union.

Shifting attitudes toward unions may be on GLO’s side. Former NLrb Chair Wilma Liebman said in an interview that when brown and other universities challenged the Nyu decision in court, they were “to-

tally missing the concept of this kind of worker having a voice and a say in both economic and other matters which affect their working lives.”

Liebman, who dissented in the NLrb’s 2004 ruling, added that strong opposition from ivy League schools has subsided since the decision.

GLO has negotiated two contracts with the university since its formation, leading Ziegler to believe that withdrawing recognition would be “risky.”

“you have at this point, people like myself who have experienced all the benefits of working at a unionized workplace,” Ziegler added.

“The longer the period goes where students are represented in schools, the more institutionalized that status is going to become,” Pearce said.

Brown unions seek alternative pathways in state law House bill 5187, introduced to the House Labor Committee by Corvese in late January, would expand the definition of “employee” under the state’s labor law to include “teaching assistants, research assistants,

fellows, residential assistants and proctors who perform services for an employer.” if the NLrb were to exclude student workers from its own jurisdiction, the bill would explicitly bring the workers under the jurisdiction of the rhode island State Labor relations board. The riSLrb assumes many of the functions of the NLrb for employees who are excluded from the federal board’s jurisdiction, like public sector employees.

brown’s student labor unions were “foremost in our thinking when the aFLCiO began working with its legal team and state legislators to draft the bill,” Crowley said. He called brown’s student unions some “of the most vulnerable existing unions in the state.”

Liebman called potential state protections “a really interesting idea.”

“if the board actually had a vehicle to overrule Columbia,” finding student workers were not employees, he said, “(i) see no reason why a state couldn’t legislate to cover them.”

English Professor James Kuzner decided to prohibit technology after witnessing students on Facebook and ESPN during a colleague’s lecture.

daNa riCHie / HeraLd

For months, the union’s leaders have worked with the Rhode Island AFL-CIO to help draft legislation extending current protections to state law.

UNIVERSITY NEWS

Brown graduate Christopher Collins MPP’12 among 67 killed in D.C. plane crash

Friends and mentors remember Collins, who passed at age 42

BY CLAIRE SONG UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

On Jan. 29, american airlines Flight 5342 collided with a u.S. army black Hawk helicopter, resulting in 67 fatalities. among the passengers was Christopher Collins MPP’12, who attended brown from 2010 to 2012. Collins grew up in Massachusetts and is survived by his parents, brother and wife. Collins was a resident of Stamford, CT at the time of his passing. He was 42 years old. after earning his bachelor’s degree at the university of Massachusetts at dartmouth, Collins began his career as a world geography teacher at public schools in North attleborough. Collins then came to brown to earn his master’s degree, with the goal of exploring his interests in education policy and public finance, said Jennifer Slattery, who was the assistant director of professional programs at the Taubman Center of Public Policy during the time Collins attended brown.

i remember him coming into my office and just talking about (how) he really wanted to make a bigger impact on a broader scale,” Slattery said, adding that Collins was interested in exploring how public money

could be used to support higher education.

One project Collins undertook was looking at how social impact bonds could support programs aimed at reducing prisoner recidivism in rhode island. He

worked alongside Mai Tran MPP’12 and alison Guerriero MPP’12, both classmates of Collins.

“Chris was just all around really nice, and i think that’s what drew all of us to

him,” Tran said. “i don’t think that there is one person who could say anything bad about him.”

Guerriero recalled fond memories of spending time with Collins in the computer lab, describing how “Chris was super smart” yet “struggled to use a computer sometimes.”

“i’d (show him) how to save a copy of a Word document, and … he just got stuck on this simple thing, and then he’s like, over in Stata doing some crazy thing,” Guerriero said. Tran, who dated Collins during their masters program, added that he considered the CTrL+F “find” function “earth shattering.”

Tran, who came from California, said Collins acted as her “personal tour guide” in New england. She described going hiking with Collins in New Hampshire, and although she was terrified of the experience, he was able to guide her through it.

“i think his character really showed … how he is very encouraging and stays calm under pressure, especially when someone who doesn’t like snow is freaking out,”

Tran said.

Collins “had a really good talent of being a neutral guy who stayed above the fray of drama,” said Chris Soto MPa’11, a classmate of Collins during his time at brown. “He was always looking for the positive in any kind of situation that was happening.”

Collins was also “really intentional about staying in touch,” according to Soto.

Faculty vote to eliminate course performance reports

The reports are often requested by students in the PLME program

BY CATE LATIMER UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR

Students enrolled in any course at brown can ask their instructor for a narrative evaluation of their performance — known as a course performance report. but starting this fall, this option will no longer be available.

at a meeting on Tuesday, faculty members passed a motion to eliminate the procedures for CPrs starting this fall.

CPrs provide “valuable information to students about their strengths and weaknesses,” according to brown’s advising Sidekick. They are not included in

a student’s academic record or transcript, but up to two reports can be sent out to external institutions and organizations if the student requests.

instructors teaching mandatory Satisfactory/No Credit courses are required to honor the report request. Other faculty members may decline to submit the CPr if “they believe they have inadequate information to do so,” according to The College’s website.

rashid Zia ’01, dean of the College, said students no longer utilize the reports as they were intended to be used when they were created over 50 years ago with the establishment of the Open Curriculum. in the past, reports could be used to provide students with an assessment of what they had learned in the course, Zia said. but now, he argued these reports are rarely used for assessment purposes.

CPrs are frequently used by students in the Program in Liberal Medical education. according to the PLMe 2024-25 handbook, PLMe students are required to request a report if they elect to take a class using the S/NC grading system.

“PLMe advisors communicated (the CPrs) are no longer needed,” according to the motion.

assistant Professor of Medicine Judy Jang ’03 Md’07, the program’s associate dean, did not respond to a request for comment.

Zia said students also often request the report to document their grades in classes they may choose to take S/NC, defeating the report’s purpose and overwhelming professors.

“We have a number of faculty colleagues who receive dozens of course performance reports every semester, and

we have a real challenge navigating this,” he said.

eliminating the reports, Zia added, “is meant to be a generosity, to give back time” to faculty members.

at Tuesday’s meeting, faculty also passed a motion to allow students who take fewer than four summer and winter courses to earn enrollment units toward the 32 units required for graduation. according to brown’s website, these summer and winter courses do not currently count toward enrollment unless students successfully complete four of them — upon which they would receive a “waiver of one semester of enrollment credit.”

but “very few students” were reaching this number, according to Zia. by allowing individual courses to count for credit, students will be better able to meet degree requirements, he added.

“He would check up on me, and it was really special to see that,” Soto said, recalling an instance in 2016 when Collins had reached out to congratulate him — a gesture “on brand for Chris.”

Slattery added Collins was smart, “really good-natured” and always aiming to expand his skillset. Within group projects, she described Collins as the “reliable one” who always made sure work got done.

“He had a great sense of humor, kind of a quiet sense of humor where all of a sudden he would come out with such a funny one-liner,” Slattery said.

a statement from Collins’s family described how his “call to the outdoors never wavered, whether it was hiking Lögberg in iceland” or “camping and rafting in the Great Smoky Mountains.”

after his time at brown, Collins headed to New york City where he worked at the city’s Office of Management and budget. He then worked as an analyst at Moody’s investors Service, eventually becoming a Senior analyst and Vice President.

“Our family is devastated by the loss of Chris, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle. Chris was a true adventurer with a passion for the outdoors and a lifelong love of animals,” the statement from his family read. “He will be in our hearts forever.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 5, 2025.

The approved motion also includes updating university financial aid formulas to provide “proportionate aid” to students who register for summer and winter courses, Zia explained. Previously, students on partial financial aid did not receive the same level of financial support from the university for these courses.

With the new motion, students’ net cost for each summer and winter course will “match” the net cost of courses taken during the year, Zia said.

“We really believe that these changes will make summer and winter courses more accessible and will help simplify the process of enrollment units and standings for graduation,” he added.

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 5, 2025.

‘Navigating some tough waters’: Brown explains limited PhD budget growth

Cost of University PhD programs has grown by 43% in the past five years

BY SAMAH HAMID SENIOR STAFF WRITER

The university reaffirmed its plans to limit Phd program budget growth and unrestricted staff expansion at Tuesday’s faculty meeting.

These limitations are a part of brown’s response to its $46 million budget deficit.

The university hopes reducing staff growth and Phd programs’ budgets will help put brown on a path to positive operating margins in five to six years and minimize the budget deficit to a maximum of $60 million in fiscal year 2026.

at the meeting, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 told faculty members that the cost of the university’s Phd programs have grown by 43% in the past five years. but to address the deficit, brown plans to restrict the program’s budget growth from the projected 6% to just 4%.

The rise in cost is partially due to the increasing Phd student stipend rates, Provost Francis doyle said. He added that stipends in the humanities and social sciences have nearly doubled, while those in the life and physical sciences have grown by 65%.

The number of enrolled Phd students has also increased by 21%, which contributed to the rising costs, according to doyle.

This admissions cycle, certain departments will have to be “more cautious” when reviewing applications, doyle said. He suggested that these departments utilize

waitlists “more judiciously” or adjust their admission targets.

but doyle emphasized that the university plans to continue supporting its Phd students and programs as much as possible.

“We want to maintain program viability,” he said. “We don’t want to put pauses on Phd admissions, and we want to have a minimum cohort size of two…even for our smallest programs.”

The university also plans to restrict the net growth of its unrestricted staff, who are staff members not fully funded by gifts or grants. Currently, the growth of these staff members is outpacing that of undergraduate students — who financially support the university by paying tuition, Paxson said.

The restriction of unrestricted staff growth, doyle said, will not be “uniformly implemented.”

unrestricted staff headcounts in “revenue-generating” areas — like masters programs — may continue to grow, he explained. but to limit overall growth, headcounts in other areas may need to be reduced.

“We’re going to do more with less —

whether it’s staff or Phd students,” doyle said. “We’re navigating some tough waters.”

This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Feb. 5, 2025.

Friends and mentors remember Brown graduate Christopher Collins MPA’12, who was among 67 killed in the recent American Airlines plane crash in D.C.