THE BROWN DAILY HER ALD
Student
Experts challenge GLO’s link between activism and working conditions
BY ETHAN SCHENKER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
at a growing number of institutions, including brown, student labor organizations allege that administrators’ crackdowns on their pro-Palestine demonstrations violate federal labor law that protects certain types of work-related protest activity.
they argue, for various reasons, that the protests are linked to their working conditions. the students’ argument is uncharted territory for federal labor law, but experts say that students face long odds in
making their case.
i don’t know that the board has approached this issue or resolved this issue to date,” said William Gould iV, former chairman of the National Labor relations board.
at brown, at least 15 members of the Graduate Labor Organization received disciplinary letters for participating in a protest encampment last spring, said Michael Ziegler GS, the organization’s president. the encampment called on brown to divest from 10 companies which activists identified as having israeli military ties. a University spokesperson declined to comment on the cases.
t he National Labor r elations a ct protects workers’ right to mobilize and protest “regarding terms and conditions of
employment” without penalty. For GLO, divestment protests are tied to their employment, so they consider it federally protected. For example, GLO has argued that brown’s resources are a product of graduate students’ labor, so they should have a say in how those resources are invested.
“For us, everything that has to do with brown’s money is stuff that comes from our labor,” GLO Organizing director adit Sabnis GS said. that connection, Sabnis argues, allows for workers to have a say on the companies in which brown invests.
but for the University, the protests are independent from the graduate students’ employment with brown, pursuing disciplinary procedures against students. this has sparked unfair labor practices charges filed by GLO with the NLrb, challenging
brown’s disciplinary authority.
the Herald interviewed three experts on labor law about how the NL view union attempts to connect members’ protests to their working conditions. While the NLrb has not yet evaluated the merits of these charges, the experts suggested that student labor unions may face an uphill battle.
For the protests to be protected by the NLrb, they must directly tie to students’ working conditions. according to William Herbert, executive director of the National center for the Study of ing in Higher education and the Profes sions, “working conditions” specifically relate to the work done by employees, their
Students discuss Oct. 7, war in Gaza one year later
Lifespan is now Brown University Health
HEALTH PAGE 5
Brown women’s rugby rumbles to victory
SEE RUGBY PAGE 6
UNIVERSITY NEWS
Underground Coffee Co. receives 10 health violations SPORTS
UNDERGOUND PAGE 14
ARTS
CULTURE
A Herald poll examined student approval for the University’s president
BY KATE BUTTS SENIOR STAFF WRITER
the approval rating for President christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 climbed 8.5 points to 25.2% this semester, according to data from the Herald’s fall poll, which surveyed 1,177 students. Last semester, her approval ratings hit their lowest point since at least 2018, with disapproval rates soaring to 58.7%. Now, her disapproval ratings sit at 33.8%. this information and more findings from the fall poll are available on the Herald’s interactive data dashboard. the poll was conducted between Sept. 24 and 26, prior to the University’s announcement that brown will not divest from 10 companies with ties to israel.
Paxson’s approval ratings have fluctuated over time but were generally higher earlier in her tenure. a significant number of students have voiced non-committal opinions over time, with students being most opinionated in the fall of 2021. Her disapproval ratings increased in recent years, peaking last year before beginning to descend this semester.
Paxson’s leadership came under public scrutiny over the last year, along with multiple other leaders of higher education institutions.
Support for Paxson varies by class year, legacy status and other demographics. the poll showed that a plurality of students neither approved nor disapproved of President Paxson. Students who did have an opinion about Paxson were more likely to disapprove of her, with 33.8% of respondents saying they “somewhat” or “strongly” disapproved, and 25.2% saying they “somewhat” or “strongly” approved.
Plaintiffs to appeal decision, claiming Ivies violate antitrust law
BY OWEN DAHLKAMP AND TALIA LEVINE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR AND SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Last week, the district court of connecticut dismissed a lawsuit alleging that brown and the other ivy League universities violated federal antitrust law by not offering scholarships to student athletes. despite the setback, the plaintiffs plan to appeal the decision, further complicating the University’s legal landscape concerning alleged financial aid wrongdoings.
in 2023, former brown basketball players Grace Kirk ’24 and tamenang choh ’21 MPa’22 brought the class action lawsuit against the ivy League, claiming that the consortium violated antitrust laws by not providing athletic scholarships or compen-
sating division i athletes.
the lawsuit built on a 2021 Supreme court decision, which unanimously ruled that the National collegiate athletic association’s restrictions on education-related benefits for student athletes violated antitrust laws. among the 365 total schools in Ncaa division i, the eight ivies are the only that do not offer athletic scholarships.
When the lawsuit was filed last March, University Spokesperson brian clark said that “the complaint has no merit.” He also highlighted brown’s financial aid program, calling it one of “the most robust among all US colleges and universities.”
in response to the dismissal, clark similarly pointed to brown’s need-based approach to financial aid. according to him, the policy “underscores (the University’s) commitment to the primacy of students’ educational experiences, which includes athletic participation for those who compete.”
“brown University does not offer aid
br
cLiX, iSSUe 21
UNIVERSITY NEWS
disapprove” (24.1%) and of “strongly approve” (10.3%). asian students were the least likely to have strong opinions about Paxson.
Paxson has served as president since 2012, so upperclassmen have had more experience with her leadership, while first-years are just starting to get to know her.
Seniors were the most likely to approve of Paxson, with 29.9% of respondents saying they approved, followed by first-years at a rate of 25.9%. First-years were also most likely to neither approve nor disapprove of Paxson. in contrast, juniors were the most likely to disapprove, with 43.8% of the class of 2026 respondents disapproving.
Legacy students, students with family members who also attended brown, were more likely to approve of Paxson. 38.1% of legacies with parents who went to brown approved of Paxson, compared to 30.6% of legacies with siblings at brown and 23.3% of non-legacy students.
divestment has been a hot-button issue on campus, sparking scrutiny of Paxson’s administration.
respondents who “strongly support divestment” were the most likely to disapprove of Paxson, with 64.7% saying they disapproved. Students who somewhat or strongly opposed divestment were more likely to approve of Paxson.
respondents who identified as Middle eastern or North african were more likely to feel strongly about Paxson, with the highest percentage of both “strongly
respondents who identified as Jewish were the most likely to approve of Paxson, with more than half approving. agnostic and atheist students were the most likely to disapprove.
respondents who identified as neither male nor female were the most likely to disapprove of the president, followed by female students, with disapproval rates of 54% and 38.9%, respectively.
With the national presidential election just weeks away, political discussions have taken center stage in campus dialogue.
59.9% of “very liberal” respondents disapproved of Paxson, while only 11.5% approved. Moderate and “somewhat conservative” students were the most likely to approve of Paxson, with approval rates of 41.3% and 40.8% respectively.
When asked for a response from the president, Senior Vice President for communications cass cliatt told the Herald, “We don’t generally offer commentary on any of the Herald’s polls or surveys, regardless of the topic.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 15, 2024.
based on academic achievement, athletic ability or any other form of merit. eligibility is determined solely on financial need,” reads the Office of Financial aid website.
“We’re pleased with the court’s decision, which affirms that our longstanding approach preserves the ability of prospective students to seek a college experience that provides the right mix of academic and athletic experiences,” clark said.
Judge alvin thompson dismissed the case last thursday, claiming in his ruling that the plaintiffs were unable to satisfy the threshold required to prove antitrust violations.
“at best, the plaintiffs’ allegations of anticompetitive effects relate to just some market participants, not effects in the market as a whole,” thompson said in his ruling.
robert Litan, counsel to the plaintiffs, wrote in an email to the Herald that, despite being disappointed with the ruling, his clients “are optimistic about obtain-
ing a reversal on appeal.” in the original suit, the plaintiffs demanded that the ivy League begin offering athletic scholarships, beyond seeking monetary damages.
brown is also currently facing litigation in a class action lawsuit that alleges the University, alongside its 39 co-defendants, price-fixed financial aid for students of separated parents, raising the cost of attendance. in January, the University settled a separate financial aid lawsuit for $19.5 million. by settling, brown was not required to admit wrongdoing in the lawsuit’s allegation that a consortium of colleges with need-blind admission practices colluded to implement financial aid calculation methodologies which “artificially inflated net prices of attendance.”
the University maintains that both of these cases have no merit. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2024.
PAXSON FROM PAGE 1
LAWSUIT FROM PAGE 1
compensation and benefits.
“to say, ‘everything’s related to my employment’ — that’s just not going to bear weight before the NLrb,” said Harry Katz, professor of collective bargaining at cornell University’s School of industrial and Labor relations.
“Unions have a right, and management has an obligation to bargain about wages and other employment conditions,” Katz said. but he wouldn’t “call the con-
STUDENT GOVERNMENT
struction of tents or other forms of an encampment a work condition, (or) an employment condition.”
GLO’s contract with the University specifically notes that brown has the right to discipline students for academic and non-academic conduct.
“i understand the outrage that students and others feel about the way in which monies are being used for the terrible things that we see happening in the Middle east,” said Gould. “i’m just not sure that this would pass muster based upon the Supreme court precedent that
i’m aware of.”
Gould cited the 1981 Supreme court case First National Maintenance corp v. NLrb, which gave employers broad discretion to make management decisions that didn’t have employees in mind, he said.
according to Katz, the University’s investments could be considered a management decision and “not a wage and employment condition.”
this would mean that GLO’s actions regarding divestment are not protected labor activity, allowing for brown’s dis-
UNIVERSITY NEWS
ciplinary actions.
Still, GLO has focused on divestment as a goal for months. at a rally early in the spring semester, GLO announced a union-led campaign for divestment.
then-president Sherena razek GS told attendees, “i don’t think we have to choose between our advocacy (for union workers) and our work in organizing around Palestine,” she said. “We have an obligation to do both.”
Prior to issuing student conduct violations, in a community-wide today@
brown message, Provost Frank doyle iii warned that participants could face potential discipline for violating the student code of conduct during protests “unrelated to their employment.”
“if a union-sponsored protest unrelated to their employment does not comply with University rules, that union’s leadership and/or members can be held accountable for failing to follow University policies — just like every other member of our community,” University Spokesperson brian clark wrote in an email to the Herald.
UCS referendum asks: Should students have seats on Brown’s Corporation?
Result will be announced shortly after the ballot closes on Oct. 30
BY JULIANNA CHANGE UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
Undergraduate students are voting on a referendum proposing student representation in brown’s highest governing body, the c orporation.
the question asks whether students support the following statement: “the undergraduate student body lacks confidence in the leadership of the university by the b rown University c orporation. We demand elected student representation on the b rown c orporation and democratic reform across our institution.”
the referendum is non-binding. it was launched by the Undergraduate c ouncil of Students and announced at a rally last thursday, one week after the corporation voted to reject a student-written proposal for divestment from 10 companies with ties to the israeli military.
When the referendum was first announced, University Spokesperson
b rian c lark declined to comment on whether brown would consider putting students on the c orporation.
U c S President Niyanta Nepal ’25 noted that many U c S members were elected on a pro-divestment platform and that up until the corporation vote, pushing for University divestment was one of the council’s main priorities this year.
the “corporation has a moral obligation to represent and serve the people who live, work, teach and learn on this campus,” U c S wrote in the email announcing the referendum. “its ceaseless refusal to honor those not in the c orporation is unacceptable.”
Nepal acknowledged that the proposal requires active consideration from the c orporation, which is not obligated to abide by its results. “UcS can pass a referendum, but unless the corporation takes the referendum seriously, … nothing’s going to get done,” she added.
t he referendum will “allow for us to effectively put pressure” on the University and “restore some power back to the hands of the students,” Nepal said.
b allots were sent on Wednesday,
and students have until Oct. 30 to cast their votes. the result will be released shortly after voting closes on Oct. 30, Nepal told t he Herald.
i f three-fifths of voters cast their votes in favor of the referendum, UcS
will request that President c hristina Paxson P’19 M d ’20 bring the referendum forward to the c orporation for deliberation, according to Nepal. b ut Nepal said she plans to show the results to Paxson regardless of whether
or not a supermajority is achieved.
U c S also plans to host more town halls and community events “to get an understanding of what students actually want (the seat on the corporation) to look like,” Nepal added.
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in your email, and we will do our best to work with you.
Submissions can build on reporting from The Herald, reporting elsewhere, official statements from the University or other groups and other reputable sources, but they cannot break news or contain information that The Herald cannot verify. Because we cannot publish unsubstantiated information, failure to provide appropriate sources may mean we have to modify or remove unverified claims.
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Ballots were sent on Wednesday, and students have until Oct. 30 to cast their votes.
Roger Williams Park Zoo offers a peek at endangered species and conservation
The zoo is home to over 100 species, some on the brink of extinction
BY CIARA MEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Mark Gould and his toddler son, tommy, have been visiting the r oger Williams Park Zoo since tommy was born. On their first trip, an endangered snow leopard came up to the edge of its exhibit and looked right at tommy, Gould recalled.
“His eyes lit up.”
Other animal enthusiasts have been fawning over social media sensation Pesto, a 46-pound baby penguin residing in Melbourne, australia, and Moo d eng, a sassy pygmy hippopotamus who calls Si racha, thailand home. both have gone viral on tiktok and instagram.
despite missing Pesto and Moo deng,
the roger Williams Park Zoo houses a menagerie of endangered animals.
“Our collection is pretty robust,” conservation assistant Hannah Petrarca said. the zoo makes an effort to take in new species — a “really complex” process, said Petrarca.
t he zoo is accredited by the association of Zoos and aquariums, which provides it with resources like Species Survival Plans — an overview of species’ populations at zoos across the country. the overviews answer questions about best breeding practices for bringing in a new species and whether the zoo has the capacity to take in the species.
because we are a part of the aZa , we have lots of partners and people who are doing the exact same things that we are doing, just in other parts of the world,” Petrarca said.
this means that when the zoo takes in a new species, that animal will already
have a “standard operating procedure” — one that details care information like its necessary habitat, temperature, holding space and enrichment needs.
“the zoo definitely takes a lot of effort into displaying endangered animals and information about them,” Gould told the Herald, adding that the roger Williams Park Zoo “cares about the quality of (life of) the animals,” while at some other zoos the animals seem like they are “just there for money.”
Ky Johnson, visiting the zoo with her sister, was surprised at how many at-risk animals the zoo cared for. She was also saddened by the amount of animals in the world that are “on the brink of extinction.”
“there’s a lot more endangered animals than i realized,” Johnson said.
the zoo’s efforts to conserve and protect the environment and its endangered inhabitants extend beyond the 40 acres in roger Williams Park.
“Zoos can really become a multifaceted approach to conservation, both global and local,” Pertrarca said. Part of that approach involves education and outreach: the zoo has educational programs for audiences from young toddlers to college students and a “zoo camp” where kids learn about conservation work and science.
the zoo supports global conservation initiatives while also working to increase their own sustainability. they also use social media outreach to spread awareness about their work. With Pesto and Moo deng going viral, social media has proved a particularly effective outreach tool for zoos.
a nd at the roger Williams Park Zoo, there is no shortage of nominations for the next animal to take the internet by storm.
Salvador the tamandua — a type of anteater — was Garissa Johnson’s nomination. “He likes to sleep, i think he’s so cute,” Johnson, who is Ky Johnson’s sister, said. Lily Jones, who was at the zoo celebrating her ninth birthday, said her pick was the zoo’s three-legged serval named Sav. “ i liked seeing the giant kitty-cat in there,” she said while pointing to the serval’s enclosure.
Nathan Mc c luskey, an elementary schooler from Memphis, Missouri, also said the servals — Sav and Velma — were his favorite animals. His sister, elise preferred the giraffes. Six-year-old a bel Small chimed in to say the giraffes were his second favorite because “they have tall necks and you can use them
as a slide.”
ing cute animals go viral contributes to
t he Mc c luskeys and Small visited the zoo while on a 10-day trip, during which they aimed to visit 10 states as a part of their larger mission to visit all 50 U.S. states, according to Kim Mccluskey, Nathan and elise’s mother. their rhode i sland visit brought Nathan and e lise Mc c luskey to their 48th state.
Vicki Scharfberg, the zoo’s director of marketing and public relations, said their tree kangaroo and sloth have both gone viral in the past. Pertrarca said her viral animal pick was “a bit more bananas”: the zoo’s largest male goat, d on Juan. “He is a big love bug, and he’s an older goat now,” she said. “ i f any animal should go viral, it should be him.”
Petrarca also highlighted how hav -
conservation efforts. “ b aby animals are really great at invoking that empathy out of people” so they start caring about wildlife, she said.
“a s much as (visitors) might learn a little bit while they’re here, or perhaps in one of our programs, they can also take next steps,” Petrarca said. On the zoo’s website, they offer detailed steps of how visitors can take action to protect the planet.
“ it’s going to be a group effort if we are going to be able to save our wildlife and wild places,” Petrarca added.
The zoo’s efforts to conserve and protect the environment and its endangered inhabitants extend beyond the 40 acres in Roger Williams Park.
ciara Meyer / HeraLd
HEALTHCARE
Lifespan, RI’s largest hospital system, is now Brown University Health
Expanded affiliation agreements were announced in June
BY CIARA MEYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On tuesday, rhode island’s largest hospital system, Lifespan, was officially renamed brown University Health. the change comes as part of expanded affiliation agreements and a multi-million dollar annual investment from brown.
the system employs over 17,000 workers and operates over 1,620 patient care offices. the planned name change was first
CITY POLITICS
announced in June, but rumors of the rebranding first spread in October 2023. the University and brown Health have emphasized that the two organizations will remain independent.
“the name change reflects a deeper alignment between brown University Health’s clinical care and brown University’s academic and research focus,” wrote University Spokesperson brian clark in an email to the Herald.
“it moves the relationship between our two organizations to a model aligned with other affiliation agreements across the country, where the academic-medical affiliation is reflected through a shared name between the hospital system and the academic institution,” he added.
brown Health operates rhode island Hospital, the primary teaching hospital of the University’s Warren alpert Medical School. With the expanded agreement, the health network’s Miriam Hospital and bradley Hospital will remain teaching affiliates of the medical school, while Newport Hospital will now serve as a community affiliate. brown Health houses 11 clinical departments of Warren alpert.
Jessica Wharton, a spokesperson for brown Health, wrote in a press release that the rebrand “represents a pivotal step toward raising our national profile and solidifying our position as a leading healthcare provider.” Wharton added that the change is a way to increase “our ability to recruit and retain world-class physicians
and staff.”
Wharton wrote that “behind the scenes” work for the rebranding included launching a newly branded website and intranet, creating “more than 3,200 iterations of over 100 new logos,” and rebranding shuttle busses and workstation screens. Signage and materials are being gradually updated.
in September, Lifespan laid off 20% of its senior executives. earlier this month, it established its first formal voluntary payment agreement with Providence — agreeing to pay the city $1.5 million over the next three years.
in a previous email to the Herald, Wharton said the decision to agree to a paymentsin-lieu-of-taxes plan was not precipitated by
Lifespan’s expanded affiliation with brown. the hospital group also said the layoffs were unrelated to their impending rebranding, the Herald previously reported. the name change should not impact patient experience, according to the brown Health website. though the hospital group’s patient portal has been renamed, patients’ login information will stay the same. email addresses have been updated, but medical providers’ contact information remains unchanged. Office locations also have not moved.
Wharton wrote that the change “signals our commitment to expanding our reach and impact, bringing trusted, high-quality healthcare to more patients across the region.”
Providence’s Comprehensive Plan sparks debate on student housing
City politicians clash over proposals on housing, gas stations
BY AVANI GHOSH METRO EDITOR
On Monday, Providence’s city council will vote on an updated comprehensive Plan, a ten-year roadmap for the city.
the final version of the draft plan, released today, would incentivize new housing development and ban new gas stations in the city, among other changes. but critics of the housing plan are worried it will grow student housing and contribute to higher rents. Mayor brett Smiley recently criticized the gas station ban, characterizing it as irresponsible.
One amendment to the proposal aims to create more rental housing in the city by bolstering financial incentives for developers. these incentives would be part of an “inclusionary zoning” strategy which aims
to create more affordable or income-restricted housing. city council members say that inclusionary zoning will help combat gentrification in Providence.
but some community members are worried the incentives will be used by developers to build student housing, which could instead drive up rent prices for residents.
in a public testimony, resident chris tompkins said the comprehensive Plan is a “green light” for developers to build more off-campus student housing. tompkins said. “We have to stop cannibalizing thriving, existing neighborhoods.”
councilor Shelley Peterson (Ward 14) said that over 275 apartments in her ward, which includes Providence college, recently started housing students instead of families.
“the median rent, as a result of student housing, is now three thousand dollars a month,” Peterson said.
Senior deputy Majority Leader John
Goncalves (Ward 1) also said that student housing has spurred gentrification, claiming that former Fox Point residents have been displaced due to increased university enrollment rates.
Other amendments would stop developments of high-pollution developments, like fossil fuel facilities, around the Port of Providence. residents in the area already face plenty of environmental hazards and toxins, according to the city council’s press release.
One of the most contentious issues discussed at the meeting was Goncalves’s proposal to “prohibit the development of new gas stations,” while installing electric vehicle charging stations in Providence.
While community members seemed supportive of the amendment at the meeting, Smiley recently criticized the plan.
city council President rachel Miller (Ward 13) responded to the criticism in a press release, arguing that there is insufficient demand for more than the 40 existing
ENERGY
What’s on the horizon
The final version of the draft plan, released today, would incentivize new housing development and ban new gas stations in the city, among other changes.
gas stations in the city.
“the amended (comprehensive Plan) simply says: available land will be prioritized for uses that meet our urgent needs,” Miller added. “that the Mayor would risk the entire plan for the potential of building
for offshore wind?
more gas stations is reckless.”
On thursday, the proposed amendment was updated to allow new gas stations only if they contain sufficient charging stations for electric vehicles and obtain a special permit from the city.
Revolution Wind next to become operational on the Rhode Island coast
BY ALLYSON CHEN SENIOR STAFF WRITER
Southeastern New england leads the way for the up-and-coming offshore wind industry.
rhode island made national headlines in 2016 when block island Wind Farm, the nation’s first offshore wind farm, neared completion. the farm now supplies power to 17,000 homes in the state.
eight years later, rhode island and the rest of Southeastern New england remain leaders in the industry. Vineyard Wind, which will ultimately power over 400,000 homes, began partial operations earlier this year. the wind farm is located 15 miles south of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, and will be joined by four more offshore wind projects in Southeastern New england within the next six years.
according to Mary cate colapietro, a spokesperson for iSO New england, which is an “independent, not-for-profit corporation responsible for keeping electricity flowing across the six New england states,” the region would also benefit from wind energy during its winters to supplement natural gas used for heating.
Offshore wind is a relatively new source
of renewable energy in the United States, but the industry is quickly growing. colapietro explained that a substantial portion of the energy sourcing for the iSO energy grid — a source of electricity for many New england households — might come from wind in the future.
according to chris Kearns, the acting commissioner for the rhode island Office of energy resources, the state plans to transition to 100% renewable energy by the end of 2033. the Oer collaborates with companies and neighboring states in the development and funding of offshore wind — which gradually reduces dependence on natural gas — to reach their renewable energy goal, he added.
according to dugan becker, a spokesperson for Southcoast Wind, a proposed Massachusetts wind farm project, rhode island’s “wealth of knowledge” of the ocean makes it uniquely suitable for the industry.
the Herald spoke with representatives of Southeastern New england’s completed and planned offshore wind projects to understand what rhode islanders should expect of the growing industry in the next few years.
Block Island Wind Farm — completed and operational in 2016 developed in 2016, block island Wind Farm is the first offshore wind farm in the nation. its five wind turbines generate 30 megawatts. One megawatt can power roughly 1,000
homes, colapietro explained.
the project “laid the foundation for a new era in the state’s clean energy economy,” said Meaghan Wims, spokesperson for Ørsted, the operators of block island Wind Farm and several other energy projects.
Ørsted recently moved their co-headquarters to downtown Providence, where the company also plans to create a new engineering, Procurement and construction Hub. “rhode island has always been a focal point for Ørsted’s U.S. operations,” Wims said.
Vineyard Wind 1: completed and operational in 2024
Vineyard Wind 1, situated over 15 miles off the coast of Massachusetts, consists of 62 wind turbines that generate 800 megawatts of electricity. according to the project’s website, the wind farm is expected to generate enough renewable energy to offset 1.6 million tons of carbon emissions each year.
a representative of Vineyard Wind did not respond to a request for comment.
Revolution Wind: completion by 2026 revolution Wind, located 15 miles south of the rhode island coast, will generate 704 megawatts of power, with 400 megawatts designated for the state, Kearns said.
revolution Wind, operated by Ørsted, is the first multi-state offshore wind project in the country. the other portion of the en-
ergy will go toward powering connecticut’s energy grid.
but the project has also garnered concern from fishermen regarding navigation and safety. Workers have complained about revolution Wind’s suboptimal transit spacing, which they worry can lead to shipwrecks or interference with their business.
Ørsted “has worked hand-in-hand with fishermen, environmentalists and other ocean advocates to build consensus and protect marine life,” Wims wrote. to prevent misinformation, their team works to “provide regular updates, maintain fishing access and promote safe navigation during wind farm construction.”
New england Wind: completion by 2029 approved in July of this year for development by avangrid, New england Wind is expected to provide 2,600 MW of energy to the New england coast. the project is split into two parts, New england 1 and 2, which are set to be completed by 2029.
SouthCoast Wind: completion by 2030 construction on 1,200-megawatt Southcoast Wind 1 is slated to begin next year, with 200 MW directed toward rhode island. the project is currently awaiting approval from the Public Utilities commission, Kearns said.
the project is global offshore wind company Ocean Wind’s first foray into the North american wind energy industry.
after acquiring the federal lease area in 2018, the company has worked on compliance with permit standards, communicated with local fishermen and conducted field research, becker said.
the team, along with other offshore wind developers in New england, hosts monthly community engagement events where fisheries and marine stakeholders can voice their concerns to Southcoast researchers.
Other nearby projects
New york has also hopped on the offshore wind bandwagon. this March, the 132-megawatt South Fork Wind Farm off the coast of Montauk became the first utility-scale offshore wind farm in the country. the project, developed by Ørsted and eversource, generates power for 70,000 homes and businesses daily. in late September, eversource sold its 50% share in both South Fork and revolution Wind to Global infrastructure Partners.
New york’s other offshore wind project, Sunrise Wind, is set to be fully operational by 2026, with a capacity of 924 megawatts. Ørsted, which oversees the project, anticipates that the wind farm will provide energy to nearly 600,000 homes.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 14, 2024.
FOOTBALL
Football loses the governor’s cup for sixth straight year
URI capitalizes on Brown turnovers, takes matchup 31-21
BY LYDELL DYER SENIOR STAFF WRITER
the sun shone over Meade Stadium during the annual Governor’s c up matchup between the brown bears (2–2, 1–0 ivy League) and the University of rhode island rams (5–1, 2–0 coastal athletic association Football conference) on Saturday afternoon.
Facing the No. 16 team in the Ncaa division i Football championship Subdivision and with a five-year series losing streak on their backs, the bears entered the matchup as the clear underdog. bruno did its best to rewrite the narrative, including a 21-point performance by the offense and a two-interception effort by the defense, but ultimately, the rams prevailed, winning the game 31-21.
“i take a lot of pride in the fact that these kids are playing as hard as they are,” Head coach James Perry ’00 said in an interview via b rown a thletics. “We’ve built the program to the point where, two years in a row, we’ve competed well for the Governor’s cup. While it’s painful to lose, there are a lot of things we did very well.”
From the opening kickoff, the bears attacked Uri on all fronts. Just over a minute into the first quarter, the rams’ quarterback, devin Farrell, loaded up to go deep. Searching for a crossing receiver, he found Noble cooper iii ’25 instead. after securing his first career interception, cooper returned the ball 41 yards downfield before getting tackled at the four-yard line. cooper, a former receiver, only started playing defensive back this season.
“three years at receiver, and that was my first college catch,” cooper said. “i was just happy to help the team.”
Just shy of the end zone, the bears’
offense pounced. On the very next play, Jordan deLucia ’25 took matters into his own hands, breaking past the goal line to claim an early lead. though the stat sheet may not show it, deLucia’s touchdown rush was a team effort. at the one-yard line, he was almost held up by the rams’ defense before a late push by the offensive line propelled him into the end zone.
“We ran the ball pretty well against an exceptional front all day long,” Perry said. “We had some guys up front who were working really hard, that’s for sure. and we took good care of the football. that was a step in the right direction.”
Unfortunately, the bears’ offense was unable to convert their early success into momentum. though the defense stopped the rams on their next possession, bruno handed the ball right back, and this time, Uri was determined to score. exploiting a hole in the defense, Farrell took a quarterback keeper 44 yards down the field before being tackled by tim Malo ’25. an unnecessary roughness penalty added 15 yards to the gain, and just like that, the rams had flipped the field in only one play.
Now in the red zone, Uri searched for pay dirt, and after a completed pass deep in the end zone, the rams equalized the score. Only minutes later, they went on another methodical 57-yard drive, closing the first quarter off with a one-yard touchdown to claim a 14-7 lead.
the bears opened the second quarter seeking vengence. Having exhausted the standard playbook, bruno got crafty, employing a series of screens to slot receiver
Samuel baddoo ’25 and jet sweeps to Solomon Miller ’26. yet once they reached the red zone, the bears slowed down until a fourth-and-two situation threatened to end the drive. instead of going for a field goal, the offense opted for aggression, and Jake Willcox ’24.5 connected with Mark Mahoney ’24.5 to keep bruno’s touchdown hopes alive.
Precisely one play later, those hopes were realized. Faking a handoff, Willcox pulled the ball out of his running back’s hands only to stare straight into the eyes of a rams edge rusher. Spinning to the right, Willcox left the d-lineman tackling dust, and burst forward into the end zone to tie the game at 14.
On the other end, the defense kept the scoreboard clean. though the rams drew threateningly close to scoring, an interception from Malo with 1:12 left on the clock ensured close was all they would get. the ended the first half tied.
c oming out of the locker room primed, brown’s offense marched down the field in a 14-play, 75-yard long drive. Willcox spread the love, completing passes to three different receivers. d istribution among the backs was equally varied, with deLucia, Stockton Owen ’25
and Matt childs ’28 all getting touches before Qwentin brown ’26 sealed the deal with a one-yard touchdown run. For the second time in the game, the bears took a seven-point lead.
b ut, after this, the b ears’ offense petered out, and the r ams launched a counterattack which would result in 17 points and yield victory. Over the next four possessions, b runo’s offense was unable to secure any points, turning the ball over on downs, a blocked field goal, an interception and a fumble. Uri, on the other hand, scored a field goal and two touchdowns on consecutive drives.
When the game ended, the score had flipped, with Uri winning 31-21.
“turning the ball over” held the offense back, Willcox said. “i had back-toback turnovers. it’s impossible to win a game if your quarterback is doing that. i
take full responsibility. the defense played great all day. We have to do a better job of getting the ball into the end zone.”
Now, the team faces one of its hardest challenges of the season: a six-day turnaround leading into Friday night’s primetime matchup against Princeton, which will be televised on eSPNU.
“if it usually takes you 20 hours to get over a loss, you now have three,” Perry joked. “We don’t have any time to rest. My challenge to the team will be to turn the page.”
“ i know we’re going to come back and be ready to go,” Willcox concluded. “you’re going to see the best version of brown football. that’s a promise.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 14, 2024.
Brown women’s rugby rumbles to victory, routs Norwich 100-7
Bears underclassmen power women’s rugby to dominant win
BY BEN GOLDBERG STAFF WRITER
brown women’s rugby rebounded from a hard-fought home defeat on Oct. 5 against Harvard, dominating Norwich this Saturday.
bruno scored its first try less than a minute into the game and never looked back. the bears led 39-0 at the half and extended their lead after the break to reach the century mark.
“the team really showed up today and was able to execute a lot of different skills,” Head coach rosalind chou wrote in an email to the Herald. “i think it was a very well rounded game for them on both attack and defense.”
the game against the Norwich cadets, an out-of-conference opponent, gave coach chou an opportunity to rotate her squad.
“We really wanted to give opportunities to players who haven’t had as many chances to showcase their skills so far this season,” chou wrote. “We know we’re building great depth on the squad and this was the game to see those players really step up and show us what they could do.”
in the first half, the bears offense was powered by Sophie dornstein ’27, who scored three tries including the first try of the match. “My success really comes down to the team executing everything to set me up to score,” wrote dornstein in an email to the Herald. “My position
is entirely dependent on everyone else, so the fact that i was able to score really just highlights the cohesion of the team and the fact that everyone was playing incredibly well.”
“this is Sophie’s first year playing, and she’s a success story as a walk-on with no
prior rugby experience,” chou wrote. “She spent last year in a manager position and has really just burst onto the scene this year with how quickly she’s picked up the game and works really hard. it’s so great to see the fruits of that labor in the game with three tries.”
the bears’ offensive onslaught continued after the break as they piled on the overmatched Norwich squad. Lily Nowak ’27 added three tries of her own to lead bruno’s second-half pace.
“the pace that she brings to the backline is incredible,” chou wrote of Nowak. “She has really got her timing down and is a threat out on the edge.”
“We saw in this game just how much talent our team possesses. the confidence in our abilities gained from this game will allow us to carry the energy into our training,” Nowak wrote. “We will use this fuel to continue learning and growing as individuals and as a unit, which will set us up for success for the rest of the season.”
the bears will be back in action and look to keep the momentum going at home this Saturday against Mount St. Mary’s.
“this was a really valuable game to get some minutes for everyone on the field” wrote dornstein. “i think just having a good win and putting everyone in high spirits … will allow us to roll into the coming three league games with some confidence knowing exactly what we need to do to make playoffs.”
one of its hardest challenges of the season: a
primetime matchup against Princeton, which will be televised on ESPNU.
The game against the Norwich Cadets, an out-of-conference opponent, gave Coach Rosalind Chou an opportunity to rotate her squad.
VOLLEYBALL
Struggling volleyball team splits pair of weekend sweeps
The Bears dominated Columbia on Friday but fell to Cornell on Saturday
BY LINUS LAWRENCE SPORTS EDITOR
the start of the 2024 season has not gone how the women’s volleyball team drew it up. coming off back-to-back second-place finishes and an attempt to reclaim a 2021 league title, the team’s record now sits at 4-11 overall and 1-4 in ivy play — getting swept in all four conference losses.
Momentum appeared to be turning on Friday night with a dominant win over last-place columbia (3-10, 0-5 ivy), but was quickly stunted with a heartbreaking, hard-fought loss to cornell (9-5, 3-2 ivy) the following evening.
“every match, win or lose, is an opportunity for reflection,” Head coach taylor Virtue said following Saturday’s game. “We have to not just look at the whole of the team, but we’ve got to look individually at what each of us can give a little bit more of. How can we serve a little bit better, be a little bit grittier, and that goes onethrough-19 on the roster and one-throughfive on the staff.”
the bears handily disposed of the Lions on Friday night, sweeping the sets 25-13, 2515 and 25-12. Led by ten kills from Sophia Wolfson ’28, bruno hit .392 — by far their best mark in ivy play — while columbia’s hitting percentage evened out to exactly .000. aside from going down 1-0 in the first set and 2-1 in the second set, brown held the lead the entire match.
i think our team just gelled really well,
so the volleyball just flowed,” co-captain Jessie Golden ’26 wrote in a message to the Herald. “in reality, that’s not how every game is going to be.”
On Saturday against cornell, the bears dropped the first set 25-16, but it was the following two losses which proved a tougher pill to swallow. in the second set, brown led late 22-17, but finished with a 5-10 skid to fall 27-25. in the third set, they similarly led 21-18, but closed 3-8 to fall 26-24. in their past four games, the bears have played in five sets decided by just two points — all of which they’ve lost. in both 2022 and 2023, the bears played in four such sets over the same time in those seasons. this year’s team appears
to be staying in sets until the bitter end, but simply not executing at the finish line.
“We’ve got to be a little bit more fierce, a little bit more aggressive,” Virtue said of the team’s need to toughen up late in sets. “it’s about being the bigger person, the bigger attacker, the bigger defender and getting a little bit more intentional in those big moments.”
“it’s important for us all to do our jobs and to stay in the moment,” Golden wrote. “We need to be mentally stronger, and fight to work together in the upcoming games.”
the bears, who slotted third in the ivy preseason poll, still have plenty of time to turn things around. With nine games remaining, they sit just two games out of
the final playoff spot. Virtue pointed to the season’s positives thus far, citing the team’s “really, really impressive pieces” such as consistent co-captains Golden and beau Vanderlaan ’25, who along with upperclassmen like Mariia Sidorova ’26, Kayla Griebl ’25 and Hannah Flannery ’26 will attempt to lead the team out of their current funk.
Vanderlaan “has been steady for us for literally four years,” Virtue said. “ i can’t speak highly enough of her leadership, and the way she goes after this thing … and Jessie Golden, finding a way in the back row, had 20 digs (against c ornell), which is huge. Nobody’s doing that in three sets.”
Virtue also credited the recent emergence of a pair of rookies.
“two freshmen found their stride here in the past couple matches, with Julia Kakkis ’28 really captaining this offense in an impressive way and Sophia Wolfson coming in and being a real offensive threat,” Virtue said.
Kakkis, whose 128 assists in ivy play leads the bears, has stepped up taking over a role held for years by two-time all-ivy and 2021 ivy League Player of the year cierra Jenkins ’24.
Meanwhile, Wolfson’s ten kills on Friday night marked a career-high which she then matched with the same total on Saturday.
“ten kills two nights in a row is big time from a middle,” Virtue remarked. the bears will look to bounce back this weekend on the road against dartmouth (9-6, 2-3 ivy) and Harvard (8-6, 3-2 ivy), rounding out the first half of ivy play before rematching against the two-time defending champion yale bulldogs (9-3, 5-0 ivy).
“i think we need to focus on serve and pass and getting kills for the upcoming games,” Golden wrote.
“Overall, it’s been a tough start and i think we all need to remember how grateful we are to be a part of this family and team, as well as support one another on the court,” she added. “it’s important for this week’s practice to be competitive and for us to work on being comfortable going for it and being aggressive, but staying smart in how we play.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2024.
Men’s soccer falls to No. 18 University of Pennsylvania in shutout loss
The Bears have now lost five of six games on the road
BY GALEN GIBB STAFF WRITER
the men’s soccer team (4-6-1, 0-3 ivy) traveled to rhodes Field in Philadelphia to play No. 18 University of Pennsylvania (9-2-1, 3-0 ivy) on Saturday. bruno conceded two goals early in the first half and, after failing to convert on offense, fell 2-0 to its inter-conference rival.
“the first 25 minutes is what ultimately cost us the day,” Head coach chase Wileman wrote in a message to the Herald.
“We didn’t start great and put ourselves in a hole. against a top-25 team on the road, it’s going to be difficult to get something out of the game at that point.”
the Penn offense started the game with an offensive barrage. in the opening six minutes, the Quakers won a corner and launched three shots at goal, whereas brown only mustered one. Penn broke the dead-lock just two-and-a-half minutes later, when their forward Stas Korzeniowksi dribbled along the right side of the penalty arc after winning a loose ball in the midfield.
With little defensive pressure and realizing that goalkeeper Max Pfaffman ’28 strayed to the right goal post,, he rocketed the ball from outside the penalty box into the left side of goal to put Penn up 1-0.
Off a line-breaking through ball that took the bear’s defense out of the game, Korzeniowski opened his body towards goal and shot at the lower left corner in the 12th
minute. Pfaffman reacted quickly and got a touch to slow the ball’s trajectory, which allowed Greyson Mitchell ’26 to sprint back and clear it off the goal line just in time.
“i’m constantly talking to the back line throughout the game,” Pfaffman wrote in a message to the Herald. “My role is to help solve problems before they arise, and my defenders try to do the same for the guys in front of them.”
despite a well organized defense, bruno could not subdue the unrelenting Quaker offense. at the 26th minute, after receiving a goal-kick pass, the Quaker left-back made a lofting pass down the length of the pitch. Penn’s left winger won the aerial battle for the ball and quickly found Korzeniowski in the center of the pitch, who relayed it to the right winger invading the penalty box. as the right winger attempted to cross the ball back to the center, it ricocheted off the boot of fifth-year bruno defender Scott Gustafson ’24.5 higher into the air, finding its way to Korzeniowski for a looping header into the back of the net to make the score 2-0.
“Having a top-tier striker in college soccer is hard to find and (Korzeniowski) is certainly one of the best in the country,” Wileman wrote. “He was the difference maker.” by the end of the first half, Penn had registered the same number of shot attempts as brown would the entire game. the game’s momentum lulled to start the second half. the bears tried to advance the ball upfield, playing out from the back line, but Penn’s defensive high press was too much to bear. the Quakers relied on
the connective play between the wing backs and midfield to generate scoring opportunities. between the 61st and 66th minute, brown took three consecutive corners and Penn took two, all of which resulted in one shot attempt among both sides.
bruno’s final chance to get a goal back came in the 85th minute. as defender Gavin
tabije ’25 crossed the ball into the opponent’s penalty box, it struck the lower arm of a sliding Penn defender. the referee immediately ruled a penalty kick for brown.
Forward Lorenzo amaral ’27 rapidly
stutter-stepped and launched the ball slightly towards the right goalpost. but the Penn goalkeeper saved the shot.
“We are not far off from teams that are further along in their cycle than our program,” Wileman wrote. “We caused them problems throughout the game and had some chances to get back in it.”
brown has won three, lost four and drawn three games against Penn in their ten matches since October 2015. although evenly matched in recent history, the two programs have progressed down divergent paths this season.
the bears have now lost five of their six away games and remain the only team in the ivy League without a conference win. in contrast, the Quakers currently lead the conference standings with an undefeated record — the only ivy League squad to do so — and haven’t lost a home game thus far. brown will continue to search for its first conference win against Harvard next Saturday at Stevenson-Pincince Field.
Dear Readers,
Letter from the Editor
For the past few months, I’ve been in a state of limbo. Though it doesn’t quite compare to Dante’s descriptions of souls looming around verdant meadows for all of eternity, I imagine the number of sighs and days melding into one another is not so different. After spending all summer stating my life’s purpose under different character count restrictions, I must now simply wait for Big Med School to determine my fate. While much of this waiting has consisted of neurotically checking my email and online forums for updates, it has also provided me with something I’d long been coveting: time. To read books I enjoy, to walk around in the crisp autumn air, to say yes to spontaneous plans, to call my parents, to care for my friends. To mull over my future, yes, but also to appreciate the blessing of having any time at all. This week in post-, our writers are also dedicating time for reflection. In Feature, Ivy shares her experiences with dating as a trans woman and how
they relate to the tenets of marriage instilled in her by her family. In Narrative, Helen digs deep into how her relationship with self-image, food, and her culture have influenced one another and evolved over the years. Meanwhile, Pooja’s piece shares with us a series of quotes—and the stories behind them—that have motivated her through difficult times. In Arts & Culture, Zoe writes an ode to Faye Webster and discusses how her creative autonomy and passion for music shine through in each project. In the other piece, Ellie analyzes a print of Edo and delves into the paradoxical portrayal of urban alienation. As for Lifestyle, writers Jedidiah and Ishan respectively encourage readers to step outside their comfort zone and take initiative to make Brown feel like home. In post-pourri, Michelle gets us into the fall spirit as she defends the season through its classic tropes. And to round out the issue, check out our crossword as it takes a fun twist on alphabet soup.
Despite being suspended in limbo, taking time to relish the experiences that bring me joy has made me that much more resilient in the face of uncertainty. Who would’ve thought that I would be learning the most about myself when I’m least certain of where I’ll be a year from now? All of this to say, dearest Readers, cherish any and all time you have. Whether it be your commute to class, the burrito bowl line at Andrews, or the queue in the mail room, good things come to those who wait—or so they say. And if you’re still unconvinced about the hidden benefits of waiting, pick up a copy of this week’s issue of post- to make the wait worth your while.
Taking it one day at a time,
Katheryne
Gonzalez Narrative Managing Editor
Defense of Pumpkin
“Every group has a Beyoncé and every group has a Lea Michele.”
“I’m in an American studies seminar and everyone wears docs and has septum piercings.”
1. Copy-eds
2. -Stem 3. Hardy
4. Early decision
5. Erectile dysfunction
6. Extraterrestrial if you don’t know how to spell
7. My great grandpa
8. The one who is friends with Edd n Eddy
9. Page Board
10. -ward Cullen
by AJ Wu
“After all, how do you let yourself grow roots, become entangled, when your time in a place has an end date? When you’re certain to have to leave, and don’t know where you’ll be going next, or how long you’ll stay there? It feels safer to appear — Liza Kolbasov, “Haunted Grounds”
“So maybe magic is not reserved exclusively for the naive minds of kindergarteners. Maybe it rests most abundantly in the things unassuming and reckless and unspoken, and it is just up to us to find it.”
— Sarah Kim, “Meadowmount, Music, and Magic” 10.21.22
You might want a DICER to make this yummy beverage 1 2 3 Have an ___ grind (a grudge) Cheese you might serve at a FEAST It was renamed Tokyo (you'll find a hint in the post- Arts & Culture section this week!) NYC art Museum
Lair ’28: America needs a national decorruption movement
in april 2023, alexia Ocasio-cortez, a member of the House Progressive caucus, and Matt Gaetz, a trump loyalist, unexpectedly introduced the bipartisan restoring Faith in Government act. the new legislation would restrict members of congress and their spouses from directly investing in stocks, bonds, or commodities, largely in response to the lackluster enforcement of the similar StOcK act of 2012. but with limited support from sitting members of congress, the bill has yet to progress through the legislature. i don’t think the window of opportunity has closed yet.
the popular frustration with congress is that deep polarization seems to prevent much progress or compromise at all — everything is a political ploy, from the border-security bill failure to the budget crisis that almost shut down the government. Proposed legislation often serves political parties instead of members’ constituencies, leading to broad ideological division that is disconnected from actual policy. currently, it’s hard for american voters to agree on any policy solutions, and often, we don’t even agree on what our policies should address. Now, on the dawn of another presidential election, our representatives have the chance to seriously address political corruption, a topic that appeals to almost every american. but officials won’t take action to pass an anti-corruption bill without public pressure.
there are several specific issues that fall under political corruption, but the most significant include campaign finance, insider trading and political action committees/lobbying groups. Most americans agree that money corrupts US politics. 85% claim that the cost of campaigns makes it hard for good people to hold office, and 84% agree that special interest groups and lobbyists have too much influence over policy implementation. Political lead-
ers like Nancy Pelosi, who make millions from our lax trading and lobbying laws, have a personal stake in maintaining the status quo. decorruption initiatives present an opportunity for all americans to unite behind a common goal, but it requires organization outside of the party system. and if americans lose their power to collectively organize against injustice in the national government, we’ve sacrificed our democracy to the two-party powerhouse.
Organizations like representUS are leading nonpartisan efforts against corruption from the bottom up. beginning with local and state governments, they push for restrictions on campaign finance and special interest groups and expanding voting rights in order to create genuine relationships between constituents and their representatives. they’ve seen
this legislative work is essential to national decorruption, but if no party adopts these proposals into their national agenda, americans have to take a more active role in demanding change. in this role, voters have to look beyond centralized party agendas and start pressuring their local representatives to act.
the first step is participation in non-major elections. So far in 2024, 75% of elections throughout all levels of government have been run uncontested. citizens must use local elections as a catalyst for large-scale change, and putting decorruption on the ballot would mobilize constituencies at local and state levels. demands of numerous local districts and cities have historically preceded eventual national-scale change. For example, the gay marriage move-
Decorruption initiatives present an opportunity for all Americans to unite behind a common goal, but it requires organization outside of the party system. “
“
success in several local and state resolutions, especially those that advocate for ranked choice voting and expanded ballot access. these victories aren’t yet numerous enough to force issues into congress, but with more popular support and coverage, they could expand their impact.
ment saw victories on the state and municipal level before gaining enough momentum to push the issue on a national stage. the beginning phases of this bottom-up approach are the most challenging, but in order for the movement to progress, citizens have to overcome political apathy.
On a national scale, we need participation in congressional primaries. in 2022, every incumbent senator won reelection, and 94% of House incumbents returned to their seats despite widespread congressional disapproval. the nature of US elections discourages districts and states from ousting incumbents in primary elections; when the focus is keeping the opposition out of office, voters become concerned with who can win instead of who will best represent their interests. these strategized elections put a gap between constituents and their representatives, wherein officials have to pander to a general national party platform instead of advocating for their regional interests, enabling congressmen to overlook the actual demands of their districts. Voters can overcome this partisan effect (and force representatives to consider public opinion) if they support primary challenges to sitting officials. the strongest representative should be the one that reflects the interests of a voting population, not the one with the most support from the establishment.
the ability to create institutional change remains available to many americans, despite how disconnected american politics can feel from our everyday lives. Political parties present viable paths to implementing legislation, but they cannot be the only sources of organized action. Until americans mobilize under a national movement to fight corruption, bills to challenge it will collect dust in aOc and Matt Gaetz’s desks. decorruption is our opportunity to not only prove the power of an engaged democracy, but to improve it for every american.
CJ Lair ’28 can be reached at craig_lair@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Woodilla ’27: Brown can help end institutionalization in Rhode Island. Will it?
Less than five miles down the road from brown’s campus sits bradley Hospital, the state’s only acutecare psychiatric facility for children experiencing mental and behavioral health crises. a recent investigation by rhode island’s U.S. district attorney’s Office found that the state has used the hospital to warehouse children with disabilities, in some cases for years, keeping them segregated from society and away from the long-term care they deserve. despite the hospital’s resistance to the state’s warehousing, its leaders have failed to raise public awareness of the issue and to pressure the state for change.
bradley Hospital is affiliated with brown. in fact, bradley is the University’s only teaching hospital for psychiatric medicine; it is run by Lifespan Health, which will soon take brown’s name. the University’s close affiliation with bradley Hospital gives it a
unique opportunity—and obligation—to pressure rhode island to end its wrongful practice of institutionalization.
in-patient hospitalizations at bradley are supposed to last for one to two weeks. but for many patients, hospital stays last for much longer because of rhode island’s inability to provide better care options. rachael Mcdonough, for example, languished at bradley Hospital for months at a time in a vicious cycle of admission, discharge and readmission that lasted for five years. instead of living in a supportive environment conducive to a healthy recovery, rachael was stripped of her independence, kept out of school and segregated from society. in short, she spent formative years of her childhood locked away. there are hundreds of cases just like rachael’s. an investigation published in May by the state’s U.S. district attorney’s Office revealed that the rhode island department of children, youth and Families, commonly abbreviated as dcyF, admitted more than 500 children to bradley Hospital from 2017 to 2022. among those children, the average length of stay was almost two months, when it should have been less than two weeks. almost half of these children were readmitted to the hospital after being discharged, and more than 100 children were kept there for at least 100 days. Sadly, being institutionalized at bradley is sometimes the safest healthcare option in the broader context of rhode island’s uniquely poor support network for psychiatric care. dcyF’s inability to provide safe long-term care options for these children means that they cannot be discharged from bradley Hospital despite the hospital’s efforts to reduce long in-patient stays. because of this, dcyF bears primary responsibility for this problem. its mission is to protect the health and safety of children under its care, and it has abjectly failed. instead of allowing children to remain at bradley Hospital for years, the department should provide children with appropriate, well-funded and long-term support for their behavioral health challenges.
The University’s intimate governance and financial connections with Lifespan Health mean that Brown has unique influence over Lifespan’s operational priorities. “ “
but bradley Hospital is not blameless either — both the hospital and its non-profit operator, Lifespan Health, have failed to raise public awareness about institutionalization. this lack of awareness remains the most significant roadblock to securing new leadership and better funding for dcyF, which are imperative for changing this broken system. brown can help to enact change. the University’s intimate governance and financial connections with Lifespan Health mean that brown has unique influence over Lifespan’s operational priorities. the University should use this influence to motivate Lifespan to advocate for change. to start, brown and Lifespan Health should publicly condemn the state’s practices and call for increased funding and new leadership for dcyF. anything less than this condemnation would make our University complacent in the state’s malpractice.
Mike Woodilla ’27 can be reached at mike_woodilla@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
Editorial: Do your students text in class? There’s a simple solution.
it’s five minutes into a lecture class. the student in the front row clicks away from their class notes into their Messages app. Next to them, a student is playing today’s New york times crossword. this scene is unremarkable — it has become the hallmark of the lecture. but should we accept it as such?
the relationship between laptop use and class engagement is deep and well-documented. as early as 2003, a cornell study called “the Laptop and the Lecture” found that as students multitasked on their laptops more during class, they performed worse on tests related to the lectures. the researchers concluded that “sustained distraction … appears to be the nemesis of the multitasker.” in 2013, a separate group of researchers found that students did worse on tests just by sitting near a computer user during lecture.
at a brown lecture, whether it’s an economics, art history or physics class, students are more likely to be playing Wordle or browsing instagram than listening to their professors. as online diversions continue to permeate the classroom, we believe the time has come for a greater number of professors at brown to seriously consider adopting no-electronics policies.
in a large humanities lecture, a student may not experience any immediate repercussions for texting or browsing the web during class — and they might even be able to complete assignments like quizzes and papers to a satisfactory standard. but disengagement from lecture, even unintentionally, degrades the quality of the classroom experience for nearly everyone in the orbit of a peer who is texting, online shopping or completing work for another class. in the New yorker, Professor dan rockmore, who teaches mathematics and computer science at dartmouth, diagnoses the underlying issue as the intractable and “ill-conceived union of twenty-first-century tools … with nineteenth-century modalities.” the tools aren’t going away anytime soon, so professors must change their classroom rules to better serve their students.
remember that no-electronics policies are nothing new — at brown or elsewhere. there is precedent for a campus-wide ban on laptops in classrooms at Lander college for Men, which enrolls just short of 400 students. New york University’s Stern School of business has a similar policy in place. this all-campus approach would run counter to the high degree of autonomy granted
to professors at brown. but that does not bar faculty from governing their classrooms as they see fit — including by setting terms on the use of laptops or other devices in the classroom. the syllabus of the history seminar HiSt1963Q: “Sex, Power, God” asks students to turn off all electronic devices in class and take notes on pen and paper instead. certain large lectures, such as POLS 0110: “introduction to Political thought,” also have no-electronics policies — even though laptop use is more common in such class formats. Oftentimes, these policies are accompanied in syllabi with a written rationale citing the researched benefits of limiting internet usage in class.
What makes these policies so powerful is that they are put in place and enforced by the will of individual professors. they often come as a part of a concerted effort to curate a class’s specific learning environment. Students may end up appreciating these kinds of efforts, whether they know it or not. thus, we hope to convince faculty who are afraid of upsetting or degrading the functionality of students’ notes to lean into whatever type of uncomfort they are trying to avoid. We encourage professors to continue exercising their discretion
as to what policies make the most sense for their courses and teaching goals.
as students, a “no electronics” policy on a class syllabus can be a tough pill to swallow. but a classroom without phones and computers does one important thing: it makes students feel like they’re actually learning. We cannot forget that a large part of our education depends on connecting with the people we’re learning from and learning with. Professors, we hope you’ll take the leap of faith to bar electronics and get your students’ engagement back. Worst comes to worst, if some students complain, you can blame us.
Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board and aim to contribute informed opinions to campus debates while remaining mindful of the group’s past stances. The editorial page board and its views are separate from The Herald’s newsroom and the 134th Editorial Board, which leads the paper. This editorial was written by the editorial page board’s members Paul Hudes '27, Paulie Malherbe '26, Laura Romig '25, Alissa Simon '25 and Yael Wellisch '26.
Ashhab ’25: The Corporation’s decision against Palestinian human rights is no surprise — but it will not be forgotten
around noon on Wednesday Oct. 9, students at the University received an email from chancellor brian Moynihan ’81 P’14 P’19 and President christina Paxson P’19 P’Md’20 detailing the culmination of the University’s battle against the student divestment movement. as is so often the case with brown’s unaccountable bureaucracy, what many on campus anticipated as a climactic announcement following the corporation’s annual meeting was instead abruptly communicated via email. to the surprise and shock of many, the corporation secretly convened a week early — which has no recorded precedent at brown — and a majority voted to endorse a University report which recommended against divestment. this vote not only disregards the previously well-established social harm occurring in Palestine but sets a new precedent where divestment from any entity becomes impossible. contrary to its intended outcome, the corporation’s decision demonstrates the need for student and community advocacy which will persist so long as the University remains complicit in the unfolding atrocities.
to contextualize the controversy over the advisory committee on University resources Management’s report, it is important to first understand the history of divestment advocacy at brown. Since the culmination of student organizing against racist admissions policies during the 1968 walkout, student activism at brown has centered around campaigns that organized against the unwillingness of the administration to meaningfully correct the University’s moral failures — everything from its refusal to hire more black faculty (1992) to its insistence on profiting from investment in coal companies (2013). at a university that was endowed with the profits of the slave trade and enriched by investments in injustice, it is no wonder why student movements have been forced to use divestment as a central plank in the fight to correct this insistence on profiting from exploitation and death. in 1985, brown University students from diverse backgrounds protested the University’s investment in companies operating under South africa’s apartheid regime. their largescale demonstrations led the brown corpora-
tion to vote for full divestment within a year if companies didn’t comply with the Sullivan Principles. While brown partially divested, students resumed protests, including hunger strikes and shantytown encampments, until the University fully divested in 1987.
though it took years of unyielding student pressure, the University divested from the South african apartheid, even though its total investment in companies doing business in apartheid South africa was miniscule. Now, faced with apartheid, genocide and occupation facilitated by its investments — the restrictions Paxson placed on acUrM, the committee which recommended against divestment, have prevented brown from meeting its obligation to reject profit from gross injustice.
ac U r M was set up to fail. in 2020, the University was on track to divest within its direct and indirect holdings — with ac U r M’s predecessor recommending “ d ivestment from c ompanies that Facilitate the israeli Occupation of Palestinian territory.” t he companies identified in this report were nearly identical to those listed in the b rown d ivest c oalition’s 2024 c ritical e dition report, and the 2020 divestment decision came three full years before the beginning of the genocide in Gaza — meaning that less aggregate social harm compelled the University to recommend divestment in 2020 than today.
despite the gravity of the injustice at hand, Paxson rejected the 2020 proposal and dissolved the body, ending a 42-year-old community advisory forum for divestment proposals. She replaced it with acUrM, an advisory board endowed with much narrower criteria, only recommending divestment “when such actions will likely have a positive impact toward correcting the specified social harm.” this new charge is a deceptive instrument designed to absolve the University of the responsibility of divesting. this standard’s ridiculousness becomes most clear when applied to previous divestment decisions: For example, if the University Sudan divestment action did not immediately compel Janjaweed officers to stop killing darfur’s children, by
acUrM’s charge, the University would not have been required to divest.
d ivestment carried out within one institution like b rown does not immediately influence actors on the ground. instead, it sets a precedent for other institutions to follow. Most importantly, it communicates that the University will refuse any financial ties to social harms — including apartheid, genocide and occupation.
a s one of the students who presented the divestment proposal to ac U r M, my peers and i drew on b rown’s previous divestment actions, particularly from Sudan, which was a clear example of the proliferative effect of ‘symbolic’ divestment. b rown was the sixth university in the nation to take such action, and 61 universities followed. two years later, c ongress passed the Sudan a ccountability and d ivestment a ct.
b ut ac U r M failed to acknowledge the precedent of divestment’s impact, as outlined in Section 4 of its repor t. instead, ac U r M chose to ask if b rown’s divestment was so immediately significant as to singlehandedly curtail the genocide in Gaza: asking the wrong question, to which the committee answered no.
t his narrow definition of social harm begs the question of whether previous divestments—such as from South a frica, Sudan, and tobacco—would have met ac U r M’s criteria for social harm. Had the committee existed at the time, the answer would likely have been a resounding no.
a nother reason for ac U r M to reject divestment was the extent to which b rown’s endowment was indirectly invested in the social harm occurring in occupied Palestine. a ccording to the committee, b rown’s exposure to the 10 companies identified in the divestment proposal is equivalent to less than 1% of the University’s endowment, or up to approximately $66 million.. Similarly, b rown’s investment in companies complicit in the injustices that occurred in Sudan and South a frica were also minuscule, yet their mere existence compelled divestiture as it was contrary to the values of b rown. Should the human suffering of Palestinians be any different? is the existence of Palestinians
like myself and our experience of occupation and apartheid too much of a liability that the University must continue to remain invested in the very companies that aid and abet such conditions?
t he social harm that ac U r M and the c orporation deemed insignificant has only expanded and worsened. a s of this writing, over 1 million Lebanese have be en displaced by israeli airstrikes, while Palestinians in northern Gaza remain besieged in their homes, with dozens reportedly killed while attempting to flee—a situation many analysts have described as part of a deliberate effort to depopulate the area of civilians.
Still, the c orporation’s decision to not divest is by no means a defeat. i f anything, it shows that the plight of the Palestinian people, my people, is not to be ignored. Last fall, this administration alongside other universities was quick to release a statement condemning the Oct. 7th attacks while paying lip service to the devastation that israel brought upon our communities. t he denial of Palestinians is nothing new. i have faced numerous uncomfortable discussions on campus with people denying the existence of Palestinians or making racist remarks about how we were all “taught to hate.” a t the same time, this past year has given me and other Palestinian students on campus hope. Our pleas did not fall on deaf ears and undergraduate, graduate, and faculty have shown up to support us. t hrough nearly a year of struggle,Our grievances with b rown University — its shallowness and suppression of Palestinian liberation — are ongoing, but so too is our resistance. Undergraduates, graduates, and faculty are all privileged to be a part of b rown. We have not abandoned our mission to serve our community and pursue justice regardless of what actions the administration and c orporation take to curtail it.
Aboud Ashhab ‘25 can be reached at aboud_ashhab@ brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.com.
ARTS & CULTURE
REVIEW
“Heartstopper” authentically portrays the qualms of teenage love
Critically acclaimed third season tells stories of queer love
BY MANAV MUSUNURU SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Oct. 3, Netflix released the third season of the critically acclaimed series “Heartstopper,” based on alice Oseman’s webcomic and graphic novel series of the same name. t he new season adds a more serious and emotional element to the show’s narrative.
When viewers last saw the characters, some of the show’s most serious themes had just begun to surface. t he second season ended with Nick (Kit c onnor) publicly coming out as bisexual and c harlie (Joe Locke) opening up to him about his past experiences with self-harm and mental health issues. i saac ( tobie d onovan) was coming to terms with his asexuality and d arcy (Kizzy e dgell) was kicked out of their home by their homophobic mother.
Some viewers of “Heartstopper” have criticized the series as an unrealistic representation of queer love, claiming it is too much of a “fairytale romance” and devoid of “true” conflict. b ut the third season puts these accusations to rest.
While the season begins with charlie struggling to confess his love to Nick, the focus quickly shifts to his eating disorder, as both Nick and tori (Jenny Walser), c harlie’s sister, express their concerns for his well-being. as the season progresses, audiences watch as charlie undergoes
treatment and therapy for his anorexia and O cd, while some members of his friend group deal with anxieties concerning their future plans for university. t he season also follows the characters as they move out of the honeymoon phases of their respective relationships, introducing more conflict between partners. tara (c orinna b rown) and d arcy work out issues stemming from their shared living situation, while tao (William Gao) grapples with loneliness after his girlfriend e lle ( yasmin Fin -
ney) transfers to an art school. Nick and c harlie’s relationship also becomes rockier as the two attempt to remain together through c harlie’s worsening mental health. t his more realistic representation of teenage romance allows the series to better connect with its audience. i t shows that even the most perfect couples have their disputes, but that these don’t define their relationships and — in Nick and c harlie’s case — may even strengthen their bond. t he characters continue to discover
and struggle with their sexualities and gender identities throughout the season. d arcy tries out they/them pronouns — and ultimately comes out as non-binary — and imogen (rhea Norwood) navigates her sexuality. Meanwhile, e lle, who is trans, tackles her gender dysphoria as her relationship with tao develops, and tori confronts her feelings towards her new love interest, Michael ( d arragh Hand).
t he diversity of situations presented in the series ensures that it will connect with a variety of viewers who may be
Student-led Public Art Tours provide viewers insight on campus artworks
Guides lead customized tours of Brown’s prominent public artworks
BY CAVAN AGATONE STAFF WRITER
Last spring, the b rown a rts institute launched a new initiative: student-led Public art tours. Offered every weekend until Nov. 17, the tours are each curated by student guides and provide historical background on some of brown’s 30 most prominent pieces of public art. the idea for the Public art tours came to Nicole Wholean, the University curator and registrar of the bai galleries, after she was selected to brown’s Public art Working Group during the cOVid-19 pandemic. the working group aims to “enrich the cultural, intellectual and scholarly life” of both the University and Providence community through public art.
“ i t seemed like we could benefit from some outdoor arts programming,” Wholean said. “i thought public art would be a great vehicle for safe, socially-distanced outdoor arts programs.”
d epending on the day of the week, each tour either begins at eli Harvey’s “bronze bruno” on the Main Green or tom Friedman’s “circle dance” on the c ampus Walk near Waterman Street. Student tour guides take their audience to between six and eight different artworks on campus, providing background information about each piece’s creation, design and origin.
Last fall, while researching for the
creation of the Public art tours, Wholean visited Princeton University to observe its counterpart, the “campus collections” tour, which inspired her to make the process as hassle-free as possible for both tour guides and viewers.
Princeton’s tour was the most casual of those that Wholean attended. “you don’t have to pre-register,” she said. “you basically just show up and it happens.” Likewise, bai’s Public art tours do not require pre-registration or payment from participants.
Wholean also cited brown’s artscrew Program and its human resources specialist, Jamil Jorge, as major players in bringing the Public art tours to fruition. Jorge “is doing all of the hiring paperwork and (scheduling),” she said.
Wholean emphasized the importance of diversity in selecting the initial 16 tour guides. “i was really interested in getting people from different backgrounds. i wanted people who are in different concentrations,” she said. “ i thought they would add a new perspective to the program.”
as an art history concentrator, Kiara bose roy ’25 said she was interested in becoming a tour guide in order to become more involved with the arts at brown.
“i thought it was a very exciting opportunity to learn more about brown’s collection and make it more accessible to brown students as well as the wider Providence community,” bose roy said.
t he tour guide training involves a mandatory six-part workshop series, according to Wholean. Over the course of the workshop, prospective tour guides
discovering their own queerness and confronting changes in their identity. c ommon anxieties experienced by teenagers also pop up as plot points during the course of the season. Some of these concerns are depicted in a serious tone — such as charlie’s hesitancy to have sex due to his body dysmorphia — while others, like the characters’ experimentation with alcohol, are presented in a much more humorous manner.
t he only real downside of this season is the absence of fan-favorite actress Olivia c olman, who skillfully portrayed Nick’s mother Sarah in the first two seasons. colman had to depart the series due to her busy schedule and commitments to other projects.
t he authentic nature of the plot and realistic interactions in the third season add depth to the rose-colored world of “Heartstopper.” No matter how cringy the series may be, it is still able to connect with audiences who may be living through similar situations and give insight into the experiences of queer teenagers.
a s of now, the series is not officially renewed for a fourth season, and Oseman has indicated that the fourth season might be the show’s last. Until Netflix releases further news, however, audiences can binge watch season three of “Heartstopper” and catch up on all the webcomics to prepare themselves for the potential series finale.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 14, 2024.
learn the basics of hosting a tour as well as general knowledge of brown’s public art collection.
each guide curates their own selection of artworks to display on their tour. “i try to choose a mix of different types of artwork, whether they’re contemporary works, or memorials, or really old ancient roman recreations,” bose roy said. bose roy cited the accessibility of Pub-
lic art tours as a highlight of working in the program.
“a s a tour guide, i ’ve loved helping people see art as something they can connect with, regardless of their background or prior knowledge,” she said.
“Public art is meant to be accessible and is meant to engage the community it’s placed within.”
Likewise, Wholean said the tours’
low barriers to entry are a major factor in upholding the mission of bai. “a lot of art’s (purpose) is about preservation and access,” she said. “i love that we are a free program that wants to share brown’s history and culture with the greater public.”
14, 2024.
The authentic nature of the plot and the realistic interactions between characters makes “Heartstopper” feel more like a documentary than a scripted television show.
Media by caVaN aGatONe / HeraLd
As an Art History concentrator, Kiara Bose Roy ’25 was interested in joining the program as a Public Art Tour guide to become more involved with the arts at Brown.
FACULTY
EXHIBIT
New MCM exhibition sheds light on history of nuclear testing and colonialism
“Performing Colonial Toxicity” opens threeday media conference
BY ALYSSIA OUHOCINE CONTRIBUTING WRITER
the exhibit “Performing colonial toxicity” by writer, artist and historian Samia Henni kicked off the three-day elemental Media conference at brown on Wednesday.
t he exhibition, held in the d epartment of Modern c ulture and Media’s c arriage House, revealed the impact of French nuclear testing on the a lgeri -
an Sahara desert. Henni used multiple free-standing displays of a 4 sheets of paper that piece together larger maps, images, captions and interviews.
t he decision to utilize a simple medium was intentional by Henni, whose exhibit first opened in amsterdam before it traveled to Zurich and London.
“ t he idea was really to try to think of a way to assemble documents and disassemble them,” she said in a speech at the event. “this was so we can pack them and send them around the world. it had to be very low-tech and basic.”
Her desire to bring the exhibit around the world is rooted in the secrecy sur-
rounding this nuclear testing. b etween 1960 and 1966, the French colonial government detonated four atomic bombs and thirteen underground nuclear bombs in the algerian Sahara, even after algeria gained its independence in 1962.
“Performing c olonial toxicity” displays newspaper clippings, leaked documents and interviews with historians to piece together the effects of French colonialism and its lasting impact.
a ccording to Henni, the exhibition is organized to purposefully overwhelm visitors. Visitors are first welcomed by the faces of the a lgerian Sahara people — many of whom can recall the impact of nuclear testing on their communities.
d espite having to condense the exhibit to fit the small space available at brown, organizers amelle Zeroug GS and adel ben bella GS took advantage of the
room to create an experience that would appeal to all visitors.
“She doesn’t go with a linear narrative, but rather, you’re supposed to be drawn to what’s interesting to you, and piece together — using all the different source work that she’s collected — what happened,” Zeroug said.
a s part of the elemental Media conference, “Performing colonial toxicity” uses various forms of media to recognize the intersection of climate and politics.
“McM has practice and theory, so we really want to challenge that binary,” said Sherena razek GS. “We wanted to bring together the intellectual and the artistic, and so this was a perfect opportunity to bring an intellectual artist working on the elemental to b rown.”
“it’s what art really should be,” said anne Mesiarik ’28, an attendee at the ex-
hibition. “it’s great bringing this sort of piece of history to life through art. it’s given me a broader idea of what colonialism is and how it can manifest in different ways that we don’t normally think of.”
Henni hopes visitors will be inspired to return and learn more about a part of a lgerian history that she says has been purposefully sealed away.
“Very often, colonialism is not studied together with pollution, with toxicity, with radioactivity, with anthropocene, with human metamorphoses of the land,” she said. “ i t is really crucial to make these intersections and bring this to schools (and) to universities, not only to museums.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 16, 2024.
Durational performance HONEY dripped for its last three hours at Granoff
Creator Julie Tolentino performed the piece with their partner Stosh Fila
BY DIA NANDA STAFF WRITER
artists Julie tolentino and Stosh Fila performed the final live showing of HONey as a part of the three-day elemental Media conference on thursday. the showing was also presented by the iGNite Series campus project, a brown arts institute initiative.
during the three-hour performance, tolentino, who conceptualized the show, swallows viscous clusters of honey poured over gold threads by partner Fila. the honey drips and pools around tolentino, never stopping, as the two performers remain in position for the entire showing.
Held at Fishman Studio in the Granoff center for the creative arts, the performance was viewable from multiple angles and the audience sat around the couple.
tolentino is a Filipinx-Salvadoran artist and a visiting associate professor of the practice of the arts at the bai. Her most recent performance-based works, HOLd tiGHt GeNtLy and ecHO POSitiON, were featured at the Whitney biennial in 2022. Fila, a professional scenic artist and
performer, has toured with tolentino for the last 15 years.
Since 2009, HONey has been presented in various settings around the world as a form of collective study, according to the performance’s handout. the piece aims to reflect “pressured, receptive and resistant spaces of connection” and “respond to the contexts in which it is performed,” the description reads.
Leon Hilton, an assistant professor of theater arts and performance studies who was at the performance, interpreted the piece as a story of connection between tolentino and their partner Fila. “it actualizes this really intense, tender, loving, at times painful, endurance of both the body and consumption,” he told the Herald.
Hilton added that the piece presents “a complex ecological web that we are all enmeshed in” and invites viewers to engage with the relationship between the performers. He noted that the performance is “beautiful, but also quite intense,” asking observers to question their complicity in consumption.
courtney Lau, a Phd student who has worked with tolentino, sees the work as a “negotiation of power” between the two artists as well as something tender and caring, held together by the honey. When discussing the performance’s length, Lau noted that while tolentino “is enduring
this honey drip … the audience is also enduring.”
as the performance continued, bright lights shone on tolentino as the sun set over the Granoff center, and the audience was treated to a different view. When asked about how this changed the performance, Lighting designer and technical director andy Sowers said “it’s up to each audience member.” the room’s lighting aimed to have the
audience focus on “the honey and … the sculptural elements,” Sowers said, not “seeing the body or seeing the work.”
He added that no matter the location, the performance is “equally beautiful and just as powerful.” “it’s really about the performer,” he said. “it’s tragic, it’s violent, it’s beautiful.”
For audience member MJ cunniff GS, the performance was “fascinating.” they said that the lighting change made “the
honey feel much more illuminated in the darkened space.”
While the live performance has reached its last iteration, tolentino remains at b rown. t hey are currently teaching a course called artS1012: “body as Medium: Queer Lineages of duration, resonance and excess,” and will be presenting at Queer durations, a three-day symposium curated by the department of theatre arts and Performance Studies in december.
Henni hopes visitors will be inspired to return and learn more about a part of Algerian history that she says has been purposefully sealed away.
Held at Fishman Studio in the Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, the performance was viewable from multiple angles and the audience sat around the couple.
Underground Coffee Co. receives 10 violations after health inspection
Most of the violations have been fixed or are undergoing fixes
BY ELYSEE BARAKETT CONTRIBUTING WRITER
t he Underground c offee c ompany, b rown’s only student-run coffee shop, received 10 violations from the r hode i sland d epartment of Health in an Oct. 3 report.
Violations included the milk being too warm, a lack of available thermometers to test food temperatures, no hot water at the handwashing sink and the presence of dust and cobwebs. t he majority of the violations have already been remedied or are in the process of being fixed, said i mran Hussain ’26, a co-manager of the Underground.
t he Underground doesn’t have full control over its space, according to Hussain. Some violations — such as a refrigerator draining onto the floor and
a lack of hot water at the handwashing sink — require other groups, like the Student a ctivities Office, to make repairs. Sometimes, it takes a while for those organizations to assess and fix these issues, Hussain said.
Marisa Fortney the assistant director of Stephen r obert ’62 c ampus c enter and Student a ctivities, told t he Herald that Sa O relays facilities issues to Facilities Management and external companies.
in response to the refrigerator drainage violation, Fortney added that “SaO is in the process of reaching out to get a site visit scheduled.”
t he Underground’s managers said that prior to the inspection report, they were not aware of some of rid OH’s requirements.
“ t hings don’t get communicated very well because there’s an inherent bureaucracy to the existence of the Underground and our connection with b rown, and that has created some rifts in communication,” e leanor d ushin ’26,
another co-manager, said in an interview with t he Herald.
Fortney wrote that the Underground managers regularly meet with Sa O supervisors. “a ll procedures are listed in a best practices manual which was developed by the Underground team in conjunction with Sa O and shared amongst staffers,” she wrote in an email to the Herald.
t he inspector reported that the milk in the fridge was 5°F warmer than the 41°F limit. Harmful bacteria can grow in milk when it is warmer than 40°F.
b ut Hussain said that the Underground’s fridge was at the right temperature. t he inspector came in at 11:20 a.m., one the busiest times for the coffee shop. d uring the rush, the milk had gotten warm outside of the fridge, and it was still in the process of cooling when the inspector took its temperature inside the fridge, he said.
“d uring a rush, you don’t really have the luxury to put the milk back into the fridge because it’s just inconvenient,”
Hussain said.
“a ny feedback we receive from anyone — whether that’s a student or a faculty member or r hode i sland Health and Safety — is very much appreciated,” d ushin said.“We see it as a way to make the space more safe and more comfortable for anyone here.”
Students had mixed feelings about the violation. Some said they’re less likely to go back to the Underground and others said they don’t mind.
Henry Zamore ’27 was surprised to learn about the report. “How could you have health and safety violations with coffee and pastries?” he said. “ it’s a coffee shop. i feel like it can’t be that hard.”
Zamore said the violations will not stop him from ordering from the Underground. “ i f i ’m going, i ’m getting a hot drink. ( t he heat is) probably going to sanitize whatever would have been there. i ’m not really a germaphobe,” he said.
On the other hand, r achel e l Grably ’28 said she will need to learn more
about the violations before deciding whether to go back. “ i t’s student-run, things happen. i get it,” she said. ava r ahman ’27 said she will probably go to the Underground less after learning about the violations because “it’s a little unsettling hygiene-wise.” d ushin said everyone on the staff makes an effort to create a safe and comfortable space for all visitors. t he first rule of the Underground, according to its founders, is “by students, for students,” d ushin said. i n the spirit of this principle, the managers have made an effort to bring new students into the space by organizing and hosting open events. i t’s definitely a sanctuary for us,” d ushin said. “We want you to feel like you belong here, like you can have a good experience here, and absolutely health and safety fall into that category.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 15, 2024.
UCS annual agenda focuses on Brown dining, mental health services, transparency
The student council hopes to reinstate a general body
BY LEAH KORITZ SENIOR STAFF WRITER
transparency, campus dining and mental health services — in addition to divestment and democratization — are the top issues for the Undergraduate council of Students this year, according to an email sent to all undergraduates on Oct. 7. to increase transparency with the brown community, UcS plans to reinstate its general body, which was removed in fall 2022, the Herald previously reported. the change was made as “a concerted effort (to) align ourselves and be more cooperative with the other branches” of the Student Government association, thenUcS President ricky Zhong ’23 previously told the Herald at the time. the other two branches of SGa — the class coordinating board and the Undergraduate Finance board — only involved elected students and did not have general bodies.
the removal of the general body was one of the main drivers behind Zhong’s recall election that spring. Zhong retained his position.
but UcS President Niyanta Nepal ’25 believes a general body can create “an avenue for people who are just generally interested in student government as well to get involved,” she told the Herald.
UcS plans to hold town halls throughout the year and create more programming spaces to increase transparency.
increased access to mental health care is another of the council’s priorities this year. according to the UcS email, some students face difficulties when trying to access mental health support “due to difficulty navigating the system and a supply of resources that is not sufficient for the present need.”
“We understand that these departments have been trying so hard to make sure that they’re able to meet student need, but the reality of the situation is there’s just too much demand and not enough supply,” Nepal said.
She hopes to create a pathway to refer students to local therapists in Providence
if they are unable to make an appointment with counseling and Psychological Services due to long wait times.
in the email, UcS also applauded the improvement of brown’s dining halls in recent years. this year, they hope to improve accessibility, increase staff support and bring milkshakes to Josiah’s, brown’s late-night eatery.
UcS Vice President talib reddick ’26 wrote in an email to the Herald that he is “most passionate” about the milkshakes.
“When discussing this with admin, i have consistently underscored how popular of a request this has been amongst the student body,” he wrote. “We are incredibly close to this goal and i will continue to work with (brown dining Services) to get this done.”
UcS also aims to work with brown dining Services to increase the number of dining halls open on the weekends, Nepal said. currently, only andrews commons and the Sharpe refectory are open for three meals on weekends, while Jo’s is open for dinner on both days. the ivy room is open for dinner on Sundays.
this fall, UcS campus Life chair Kyle
Kavully ’27 worked with brown d ining Services to re-establish the brown dining council. the dining council, led by five appointed student representatives, will be “the way for UcS to gather opinions (and) student feelings on dining and bring that over to administrators,” Nepal explained.
UcS also hopes to bring more food trucks to campus and increase dining options for students with allergies. the council’s initiatives for the year were decided at a UcS retreat where all members discussed initiatives in terms of feasibility and impact, according to UcS
Secretary alexa theodoropoulos ’27.
UcS Secretary alexa theodoropoulos ’27 believes the current initiatives “encapsulate pretty well the intersection of what the student body wants and what we’re capable of addressing.”
Other potential initiatives discussed by UcS members relate to legacy admissions, affirmative action, need-blind admissions for transfer students and publicizing UcS meeting minutes, theodoropoulos said. reddick emphasized that UcS will continue to also work on initiatives not specifically enumerated in the email sent to students.
Students had mixed feelings about the violations.
ciara Meyer / HeraLd
This fall, UCS Campus Life Chair Kyle Kavully ’27 worked with Brown Dining Services to re-establish the Brown Dining Council.
How students are experiencing Oct. 7 and the war in Gaza, one year later
Six students shared how the Israel-Hamas war impacted their lives
BY SOPHIA WOTMAN AND SAM LEVINE SENIOR STAFF WRITER, UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITOR
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas militants invaded southern israel in a surprise attack, killing around 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages back to Gaza. the israeli military responded by launching airstrikes and a ground invasion in Gaza, setting into motion an ongoing offensive that has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians.
the Oct. 7 attacks and the ensuing war have directly impacted many students and their loved ones, and have profoundly altered their experiences on campus this past year.
yonah rosenfield ’25 was observing the Jewish holidays with his friends when the news of the Oct. 7 attack first broke. Since he was not using his phone in observance of the holiday, rosenfield learned about the attacks from the newspaper and descriptions from his friends.
“Once it became clear that this was the worst day in Jewish history of my life, it obviously hit me very hard,” he said.
aboud ashhab ’25 — a Palestinian student from the West bank — said he was initially shocked, but not surprised, given the violent history of the conflict.
ashhab told the Herald that he “felt very scared at first” as he immediately began to worry about the harassment that arab students might face as a result.
adi beniluz ’28, an american-israeli student who was living in israel last year, remembered being at holiday services with her cousins when news of the attack started to spread. despite the restrictions on technology use during the holiday, she and her cousins went home, turned on the tV and spent the day watching the death toll rise.
“We were all trying to understand the magnitude of how horrible this day is,”
beniluz recalled.
as the days passed and israel’s offensive in Gaza grew more severe, tara abu Ghazaleh ’26 recalled experiencing a moment of “isolation and reflection” as she felt that not all lives were “being equally accounted for” in the media’s coverage of the rising death toll in Gaza.
abu Ghazaleh, whose family fled Palestine in 1948 and now lives in Jordan, said that in the wake of Oct. 7 she was often scared to tell people she was Palestinian or express her views of the conflict on social media, citing a fear that the charge of antisemitism would be “weaponized” against her.
“it was very hard to display a Palestinian identity post-October 7,” she said.
ashhab also said that the Oct. 7 attacks made being Palestinian “a controversial or hot topic,” and given the frequent conflation of Palestinian and arab identities, many arab students “felt like they couldn’t express their identity anymore.”
With the often polarized rhetoric surrounding the israel-Hamas war, rosenfield felt pulled in multiple directions — “socially, politically and emotionally” — following Oct. 7, especially given the divergent views of his friends and family.
“On that personal level, it was really difficult for me to navigate, feeling like i was being told two different things from two different groups of people i love and
trust,” rosenfield said.
as the year went on, rosenfield found himself discussing the conflict with his friends on campus. though challenging, he said he was grateful to engage in these difficult conversations and learn from the perspectives of his peers.
“People are people, regardless if we disagree,” rosenfield said.
in recent weeks, israel has expanded its war into Lebanon, launching a heavy bombardment and a ground invasion after months of trading strikes with Hezbollah, an iranian-backed militant group operating in southern Lebanon. More than 2,300 people have been killed in the israeli invasion.
For Serena Fadel ’25, who is from Lebanon, it has been “really tough and hard to accept” that the war has now expanded into her country.
“it’s highways that you know, that you’ve taken, that are being bombed, it’s towns that you’ve visited, it’s places that you obviously love,” she said.
in the weeks following Oct. 7, Fadel said she spent her energy supporting her Palestinian and Jordanian friends whose families were in danger. but now that the war has spread to Lebanon, she has a deeper understanding of what those friends were experiencing.
“My Palestinian friends have been living with this for the past year,” Fadel said, and while “sympathizing” with it is one thing,
“having to face it yourself is a completely other thing.”
Fadel, who dedicated her time last semester to advocating and fundraising for Gaza, said she has “picked up the spirit” to now raise funds for nongovernmental organizations responding to the crisis in Lebanon.
but Fadel also expressed disappointment that more people on campus were not outraged by what is happening in Lebanon.
“i’m experiencing this alone with only my Palestinian friends, whereas it feels like it should be something that’s painful and shared by a lot of people, because everybody is, in a way, implicated,” Fadel said, referring to the U.S. government’s support of the israeli military.
the United States has spent at least $17.9 billion on israel’s military operations since Oct. 7 of last year, according to the Watson institute for international and Public affairs’s costs of War project.
as the war has expanded in the region, ashhab has found it difficult to find a sense of normalcy. “What is normality for Palestinian students?” he asked.
ashhab feels that he has still not fully processed the conflict and the “ongoing wound that’s been open.” He remains in frequent contact with his family members who are in the West bank.
“Half of my mind is home, and half is on campus,” he said. For “hours of my day, my eyes are peeled on to the news screen, seeing updates after updates and talking with my family.”
Lexie cohen ’28, a Jewish student who has family in israel, said that the campus atmosphere around the one-year anniversary of Oct. 7 has been “extremely difficult.” though there is a larger Jewish community at brown than back home in Singapore, she said it was hard to hear rhetoric from peers on campus who, in her view, were “celebrating” the Hamas attacks.
as a result, cohen said that she is “spending more time at Hillel and surrounding myself with people that have similar experiences” and are feeling similar emotions.
beniluz echoed these sentiments, noting
that at Hillel she found Jewish students who “understand the pain” and “the injustice of some of the things that are said on campus on a personal level.”
When six hostages being held in Gaza were found executed in September, it was “very painful to have to go about a normal day” feeling that nobody around her on campus “really understands the magnitude of what is happening,” beniluz recalled.
“i feel completely helpless,” cohen said of watching the continued escalations between israel and Hamas, Hezbollah and iran. She said she continues to check in with her family members and monitor social media to make sure her friends are alright.
as israel’s war in Gaza stretches into its second year, abu Ghazaleh said that she has “gravitated” towards the arab community on campus.
“No one’s going to understand how it feels to be Palestinian or arab like a Palestinian or an arab,” she said. “it’s a very complex and strange feeling, especially being in the U.S. during this time.”
but abu Ghazaleh also said that people are now more educated on the suffering in Gaza, which has made her more comfortable sharing her Palestinian identity and communicating her views compared to last year.
For beniluz, being in Providence has made her feel “so removed” from the situation in israel. While living there, she was able to raise money with her gap year cohort and volunteer to help families who lived in the towns attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7. at brown, beniluz is organizing seminars where she can discuss the “complexities of israel” and the “roots and relevance” of Zionism, concepts she studied in her gap program in israel.
“i think that’s the most important thing we can be doing on campus: having real conversations where we listen to each other and to each other’s pain, and talk to each other face-to-face,” she said.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 14, 2024.
Jewish student activists mark Sukkot holiday with pro-Palestine outdoor installation
BY CIARA MEYER AND SOPHIA WOTMAN
SENIOR STAFF WRITER, SENIOR STAFF WRITER
On Wednesday evening, members of Jews for ceasefire Now erected a “Gaza Solidarity Sukkah” on the Quiet Green to mark the week-long holiday of Sukkot, one of the Jewish High Holy days.
a sukkah is a temporary structure built by Jewish communities during Sukkot to engage in holiday rituals, which can include eating meals and spending the night. JcFN, a pro-divestment student activist organization, received approval from the Office of chaplains and religious Life to set up the sukkah, according to the group’s co-president Lily Gardner ’26.
Students plan to sleep in the 16-by-16 foot sukkah throughout the eight days of the holiday. Not all students will spend all the eight days in the installation, and they expect others to join throughout the week. the group’s members drew a connec-
tion between the Sukkot holiday, which commemorates the biblical story of the israelites fleeing egypt, and the mass displacement of civilians in the ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
an estimated 90% of Gaza’s population, which amounts to approximately 1.9 million Palestinians, have been internally displaced since the israel-Hamas war began, according to the bbc and the United
Nations. abc News reported that nearly 25% of Lebanon’s population, or 1.2 million people, have been displaced due to israeli military action in the country.
For rafi ash ’26, a member of JFcN, the sukkah represents “an open space” to process both joy and grief in observance with the holiday. He added that the sukkah also demonstrates the group’s resolve to continue their divestment campaign after
the corporation’s decision last week not to divest from companies with ties to the israeli military.
JFcN was formed last year to call on the University to divest from israel and publicly call for a ceasefire. twenty members of their organization were arrested on trespassing charges during a sit-in in a University building to push for divestment. the group was also involved with other pro-divestment demonstrations, including a hunger strike and encampment.
“it is important to take up space on this campus and show that the undemocratic corporation will not silence the student movement,” ash said. “We want to show the corporation that as they arrive on campus, they are working against the student body.”
“We will stay visible,” ash added. the corporation’s decision against divestment, following a University advisory committee’s concurring recommendation, “resulted from a process that was deliberate, inclusive, fair and participatory,” University Spokesperson brian clark previously wrote to the Herald.
an analysis by brown’s advisory committee on University resources Management found that less than 1% of the University’s endowment was invested in the
companies identified by pro-divestment activists as having ties to the israeli military. as of June last year, 1% of the endowment was equivalent to $66 million.
Gardner came prepared to spend the night at the sukkah, showing up with blankets, wool socks and layered clothing. “i learned from last spring when i was sleeping on the Main Green (in the encampment), and i was quite cold,” she said. Samantha bloom ’25, who helped create the art displayed on the sukkah’s walls, incorporated “symbols of Palestinian identity and resistance” into her work, including an olive tree and the pattern of a keffiyeh, a traditional Palestinian headscarf. bloom emphasized her gratitude for the JFcN community, describing it as “healing and beautiful.” throughout Sukkot, the group plans to host religious programming, including prayer, song and poetry, Gardner said. they also plan to host joint events with other groups on campus, including the brown divest coalition and housing access organizations.
The Oct. 7 attacks and the ensuing war have directly impacted many students and their loved ones and profoundly altered their experience on campus this past year.
Students plan to sleep in the sukkah during weeklong holiday
ciara Meyer / HeraLd
Jews for Ceasefire Now plans to hold religious programming at the sukkah, including prayer, song and poetry.
ACADEMICS
Brown’s chemistry sequence doesn’t always match medical schools’ requirements
Pre-meds say Brown’s chemistry curriculum is a source of stress
BY KATE ROWBERRY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
it’s a seemingly age-old question: which of brown’s general chemistry courses should first-semester pre-medical students take?
this choice, some pre-med students say, matters much more than you may think.
Most medical schools require students to take general chemistry and organic chemistry, each for at least two semesters and all with a lab component, according to brown’s Health careers advising website.
currently, brown’s d epartment of chemistry offers two introductory general chemistry courses: cHeM 0100: “introductory chemistry” and cHeM 0330: “equilibrium, rate, and Structure.” Pre-medical students will typically take one of these during their first semester at brown.
all students are eligible to take cHeM 0100 as their first chemistry course. but in order to skip straight to cHeM 0330 — a more advanced course — students must either complete a placement test or be placed into the course based on their advanced Placement or international baccalaureate chemistry scores.
Students who elect to take cHeM 0100 will typically then take cHeM 0330 sometime in the next two semesters. Once cHeM 0330 has been completed, students can move onto the organic chemistry sequence.
but cHeM 0350: “Organic chemistry i” is only offered in the spring, meaning that students who elected to take cHeM 0100 their first semester must wait until their sophomore spring to take the course. t hen, students will take c H e M 0360: “Organic c hemistry ii ,” which is only offered in the fall. that means students who started at cHeM 0100 will not com-
plete the organic chemistry sequence until their junior fall.
they will be one year behind students who took cHeM 0330 their first semester and began organic chemistry their first-year spring. this puts cHeM 0100 enrollees behind their peers who continued with the chemistry sequence after starting with cHeM 0330.
Noa brown ’26, who plans to apply to medical school after taking a gap year, decided to self-study for the chemistry placement test in order to take cHeM 0330 in the fall of her first year. the University offers an online tutorial program to help students prepare for the placement exam.
“i was definitely very intimidated to enter a class like (cHeM 0330),” Noa brown said. “Looking back, i don’t regret it, per se, but cHeM 0330 was a very, very challenging class for me and definitely difficult to navigate as a freshman who’s overwhelmed by everything else.”
Over 50% of students in cHeM 0360 this semester are sophomores. First-years comprise over 80% of students in cHeM 0330, according to courses@brown.
Many medical schools also require or recommend that students take one semester of biochemistry. Pre-med students at brown will typically take biOL 0280: “biochemistry” after completing cHeM 0360 the fall before.
although cHeM 0350 is the only requirement for biOL 0280, both courses are only offered in the spring, so most pre-medical students will have to wait at least a year after completing cHeM 0350 to take biOL 0280.
Students who take cHeM 0100 their first semester will likely take biOL 0280 the spring of their junior year — typically one year after peers who took cHeM 0330 their first-year fall.
When deciding which chemistry course to take her first-year fall, Noa brown said that some upperclassmen warned her against cHeM 0100, as it can introduce many challenges to the pre-med timeline.
“i didn’t want to preclude myself from all of my options in my first semester as a student here,” she added.
Sean treichler ’25 emphasized that students who choose to take cHeM 0100 will likely have to take a gap year between undergraduate and medical school due to the Medical college admission test.
Students hoping to attend medical school directly after graduating from brown are recommended to take the Mcat sometime before or during their junior year to then submit their application materials that spring.
“you can start the application process without an Mcat score but we recommend that you have a score by mid-June of the year when you will apply,” the Health careers advising website reads.
because biochemistry is one of the four subjects tested on the Mcat, most students wait until completing biOL 0280 before sitting for the exam.
according to the Hca website, the majority of students attending medical school in the U.S. have taken at least one gap year.
treichler, who plans to take a gap year, took cHeM 0330 his first-year fall. but he noticed a “culture of them feeling behind” among some students who chose to take cHeM 0100.
Lily budnick ’26, who took cHeM 0100, said she didn’t notice any drawbacks from taking the course. instead, budnick thinks that her decision allowed her to take cHeM 0350 when she was more prepared and already had a year of college under her belt.
but budnick was disappointed that her decision to take cHeM 0100 limited her ability to study abroad her junior year. While many students who took cHeM 0330 had finished their chemistry requirements by the end of her sophomore year, budnick will not finish biOL 0280 until her junior spring.
if she decided to study abroad her junior year, she would not have been able to finish the chemistry sequence and biochemistry until her senior year — which
would likely require her to take at least two gap years to prepare for the Mcat Noa brown wondered if offering additional small sections of the organic chemistry courses each semester would provide opportunities for the students who want to take the Mcat in time to avoid taking a gap year.
Students’ complaints with the chemistry sequence are nothing new. in 2016, students created a petition calling on the University to offer cHeM 0350 and cHeM 0360 during both semesters. but the chemistry department is “limited in the number of labs we can offer in any given semester,” said amit basu, a chemistry professor and the director of the chemistry undergraduate program.
Labs have to be conducted in spaces with the proper safety and ventilation equipment, and there needs to be “proper staffing in terms of instructors and (teaching assistants) for each of those sections,” basu added.
Offering cHeM 0350 and cHeM 0360 at the same time would involve “two sets of experiments that would be using the same space and often the same instrumentation,” basu explained. “doing two different sets of labs in the same space with the same analytical instruments is simply not possible.”
While most medical schools require two semesters of general chemistry with a lab component, “the majority of medical schools accept the intensive cHeM 0330 course to fulfill their general/inorganic chemistry requirements,” Ginger Fisher, the assistant dean of the college for pre-professional advising, wrote in an email to the Herald.
but some students are still concerned that taking cHeM 0330 — and thus only fulfilling one of the two required semesters of general chemistry — will negatively affect how their application is viewed by medical schools.
cHeM 0330 is a one-semester course because cHeM 0330 students typically have a background in chemistry from high
school or cHeM 0100 and will have “covered the material that is seen in a general chemistry sequence,” basu explained. earlier this year, Noa brown communicated to Hca that she was unsure about whether her coursework would fulfill certain medical schools’ chemistry requirements. She was advised to reach out to the schools to ask if their specific admissions policies would accept the University’s cHeM 0330 course or would still require an additional general chemistry course. this “is not a personal problem for me, (as if) i did something at brown that is different from the norm,” she said. “it’s an institutional issue, so i would have expected that there would be sort of an institutional response to help students.”
Hca , which assists pre-med students with their medical school applications, shares a cover letter with each applicant’s schools to explain the University’s curriculum, Fisher wrote.
“if a school has asked for more information (about brown’s chemistry sequence), our office reaches out to them directly to explain the curriculum at brown,” she added. “if none of these options would work for a student, they could take an additional chemistry course at brown or at another institution.”
among treichler’s friends who are currently applying to medical school, any problems related to the University’s chemistry sequence have “not been brought up, so i don’t think it’s an issue,” he said.
“changing a set of introductory sequences is not a small lift, right?” basu said, noting that the current curriculum has been in place for fifteen or twenty years. Such a change would include “making sure we have the lab space and the staffing to do that, but it’s certainly something we’re constantly looking at.”
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Oct. 14, 2024.
The chemistry department is “limited in the number of labs we can offer in any given semester,” said Amit Basu, the director of the chemistry undergraduate program.