SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD VOLUME CLVIII, ISSUE 47
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM
STUDENTS ARRESTED AFTER U. HALL SIT-IN CALLING FOR DIVESTMENT, CEASEFIRE IN GAZA Students rally on Main Green, occupy U. Hall
20 students arrested, released on same night, have court date set in late November BY SAM LEVINE & HALEY SANDLOW UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
The Department of Public Safety arrested 20 Jewish students who participated in a sit-in at University Hall Wednesday evening. The students, who entered earlier that afternoon, refused to willingly leave the building until President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 publicly committed to “include and support a divestment resolution in the next meeting of the Brown Corporation,” the University’s highest governing body, The Herald previously reported. The students were escorted out of the building by police officers and brought to police transport vans owned by the Providence Police Department, which were parked outside the Van Wickle Gates. Police began arresting students around 5:45 p.m. and continued through the next hour. The students were released from police custody Wednesday evening and have an expected court date on Nov. 28, organizers told The Herald. “After offering students every opportunity for a different outcome, Brown issued multiple trespass warnings and ultimately moved forward in arresting approximately 20 (students) who refused to leave a campus building where their presence after operating hours posed security concerns,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in an email to The Herald. More than 150 students stood on either side of University Hall during the hour before the arrests, shining phone flashlights and singing in unison. Throughout the sit-in, which was organized by a new student group, BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now, supporters had sat outside the building singing Jewish songs and prayers “in solidarity with the activists inside of University Hall,” speakers announced earlier in the afternoon. The songs continued throughout the arrests. Students lined the walkway from the back of University Hall to the Van Wickle Gates as police officers placed students in zip-ties or handcuffs and escorted them to the vans parked on Prospect Street. Lit by dozens of camera flashes as students recorded the events on their phones, arrested students joined the crowd’s singing of a Jewish prayer. They continued to sing while in the vans. The arrests concluded a day of protest at the University that began when students gathered on the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center in a walkout organized by Brown Students for Justice in Palestine calling for a ceasefire in Israel-Palestine. Protesters also called for the University to divest from “Israel and the military-industrial complex” and for the University to “protect students from intimidation, doxxing and harassment for their Palestine activism,” according to SJP’s demands.
BY SAM LEVINE & HALEY SANDLOW UNIVERSITY NEWS EDITORS
COURTESY OF BROWNU JEWS FOR CEASEFIRE NOW
COURTESY OF BROWNU JEWS FOR CEASEFIRE NOW
KATY PICKENS / HERALD
SEE ARREST PAGE 3
More than 150 students stood on either side of University Hall during the hour before the arrests, shining phone flashlights and singing in union.
Twenty Jewish students began a sit-in at University Hall Wednesday afternoon, demanding that the University administration and President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 support a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war and divest Brown’s endowment from “companies that enable war crimes in Gaza.” The group, BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now, announced in an Instagram post that they would “not leave University Hall until President Christina Paxson publicly commits to include and support a divestment resolution in the next meeting of the Brown Corporation,” the University’s highest governing body. Organizers told The Herald that they delivered a copy of their demands to Paxson’s secretary. At Tuesday’s faculty meeting, Paxson declined to comment on a faculty letter calling for a ceasefire while affirming the University’s commitment to free speech and expression on university campuses. According to organizers inside University Hall, another administrator informed the students that Paxson would not change her stance. The Herald could not immediately independently verify this claim. The demands specifically called for the resolution to be based on a 2020 report from the University’s Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies recommending that the University divest from “any company that profits from the Israeli occupation of Palestinian land.” ACCRIP was later replaced with a successor body, the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management. “It is imperative that the Corporation support the democratic decision of the Brown community on the financial ethics of our institution,” an organizer with BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now said in a speech announcing the sit-in. “At Brown, we recognize our responsibility for being an educational institution that manages challenging discussions in a way that remains true to the fundamental principle of freedom of expression while emphasizing the importance of safety for all community members,” University Spokesperson Brian Clark wrote in a message to The Herald. “Brown leaders have met with many student groups (affected by the events in Israel and Gaza) in recent weeks to listen to and address concerns, and we will continue to do so moving forward.” Clark did not respond to request for comments on the students’ demands at the time of this article’s publication. Before the sit-in began, more than 400 people gathered at the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center in a walkout organized by Brown Students for
Justice in Palestine calling for a ceasefire and divestment. Speakers criticized Paxson for declining to respond to the portion of the letter, signed by more than 160 faculty, which urged the University’s administration to call for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. “I have to respectfully decline making public statements on these issues,” Paxson said at the Tuesday faculty meeting, adding that her “responsibility, as president, is not to place a stamp of approval on the views of a subset of the community, even if that subset is large.” Multiple student speakers at Wednesday’s walkout described the call for a ceasefire as the “bare minimum.” After hearing speeches on the steps of the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center, attendees marched around University Hall for about 20 minutes. Protest slogans overlapped between the hundreds of people circling the building, as chants of “ceasefire now” echoed from one part of the picket line to the next. The sound crescendoed when the bell above University Hall rang. Attendees then gathered at the front of University Hall to hear organizers announce the sit-in, which had already begun. “As Jewish students who have peers, friends and loved ones, both Israeli and Palestinian, affected by the violence, we’ve had enough of our university using us as a justification to maintain financial ties to an apartheid state,” said an organizer with BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now in a speech on the steps of University Hall. Multiple human rights organizations, as well as an independent human rights expert commissioned by the United Nations, have published reports stating that the Israeli government’s treatment of Palestinians amounts to “apartheid.” UN experts have said they are “convinced that the Palestinian people are at grave risk of genocide” as violence has continued to escalate since Oct. 7, according to a Nov. 2 press release. According to BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now organizers, the group is made up of more than 80 Jewish students who came together after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel and the retaliation by the Israeli military to create a space for “holding the values of Palestinian liberation very closely with the fear they felt for their friends and family” in Israel. Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel killed over 1,400 people. In the month since, Israel’s retaliation has targeted the Gaza Strip through airstrikes, blockades and a ground invasion, which have killed over 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the Associated Press reported. Some members of BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now separately published a Nov. 8 op-ed in The Herald standing in
SEE SIT-IN PAGE 3
PAGE 2
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
TODAY WEEK IN HIGHER ED:
1
UNIVERSITY HALL SIT-IN
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
COURTESY OF BROWNU JEWS FOR CEASEFIRE NOW
Universities of Wisconsin attempts to recover $32M in state money in DEI fight
Lawmakers cut $32M from the budget of the Universities of Wisconsin — the estimated amount the system spends on diversity, equity and inclusion programming. University System president Jay Rothman, an opponent of eliminating the programs, is attempting to secure $32M for pre-professional training in high-demand fields from the state legislature.
2
Hate crime probe launched after hit and run injuring Muslim Stanford student
COURTESY OF BROWNU JEWS FOR CEASEFIRE NOW
A driver allegedly made racist comments as they hit Stanford student Abdulwahab Omira. Stanford leaders condemned the drvier’s actions and were “profoundly disturbed to hear this report of potentially hate-based physical violence on (their) campus.”
3
Brandeis University banned the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine
Brandeis University President Ronald D. Liebowitz banned the campus chapter of National Students for Justice in Palestine. The group will no longer receive university funding or permits to hold activities on campus. Brandeis SJP said in a statement on their Instagram that the decision is “purely racist and goes against the values of Brandeis University.”
KATY PICKENS / HERALD
THIS WEEKEND Cabaret, Department of Theatre Arts & Performance Studies Nov. 9-11, 8 p.m. Stuart Theatre
Brown University Women’s Volleyball vs Columbia Nov. 11, 5:00 p.m. Pizzitola Sports Center
Mike Mochizuki ’72 — Is Japan Entrapped by US-China Rivalry? Nov. 10, 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Watson Institute
Brown University Women’s Soccer vs Quinnipiac Nov. 11, 4:00 p.m. Stevenson-Pincince Field
NEXT WEEK The Struggle for Quality and Transformation in Afghanistan’s Higher Education Nov. 17, 9:00 a.m. Online
Wind Symphony and Percussion Ensemble Concert Nov. 17, 8:00 p.m. Grant Recital Hall
CLS World Trivia Night with Dean Zia Nov. 17, 5:30 p.m. Macmillan Hall
Brown University Football vs Dartmouth Nov. 18, 12:00 p.m. Brown Stadium
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
ARREST FROM PAGE 1 Over 400 walkout attendees then circled University Hall, carrying signs and chanting protest slogans. Jews for Ceasefire Now organizers then announced the sit-in, which had already begun. When asked about the group’s plan for the sit-in, organizer Mica Maltzman ’25 said that they were “prepared to stay here.” Organizers told The Herald at the time they had dozens of students prepared to support the 20 students in University Hall, “whether it’s for one day or if it’s for three weeks.” During the sit-in, Clark wrote that University administrators “were committed to ensuring that the students fully understood that they would not be allowed to remain in the building after
SIT-IN FROM PAGE 1 solidarity with the Palestine Solidarity Caucus and Brown Students for Justice in Palestine, organizers said. “It became very clear very quickly that we weren’t just there to process and talk (but) that we wanted to take action,” said an organizer with BrownU Jews for Ceasefire Now who wished to remain anonymous for safety reasons. When asked about their plan for the sit-in, organizers were direct: “We’re prepared to stay here,” said Mica Maltzman ’25, an organizer with the group. Organizers told The Herald they had dozens of students prepared to support the 20 students during the sit-in, “whether it’s for one day or if it’s for three weeks.” The University’s protest and demonstration policy states that “protest is a necessary and acceptable means of expression within the Brown community.” It continues to state that “protests or demonstrations that infringe upon the rights of others … or that interfere with the rights of others to make use of or enjoy the facilities or attend the functions of the University cannot be tolerated.” Failure to follow the University’s code of conduct can lead to disciplinary action,
PAGE 3
UNIVERSITY NEWS
normal operating hours for security reasons, and that they could face disciplinary action” for violating University policies, as well as “arrest for trespass after the close of business.” The University’s protest and demonstration policy states that “protest is a necessary and acceptable means of expression within the Brown community.” It goes on to state that “protests or demonstrations that infringe upon the rights of others … or that interfere with the rights of others to make use of or enjoy the facilities or attend the functions of the University cannot be tolerated.” Failure to follow the University’s code of conduct can lead to disciplinary action, including “civil and criminal charges” in some circumstances, ac-
cording to a letter sent to the University community by Provost Francis Doyle. “To protect the security of all community members and facilities, students cannot remain in non-residential campus buildings past the point of normal operating hours,” Clark wrote. “Brown has detailed procedures in place to investigate alleged conduct code violations, resolve them and implement discipline in instances when students are found responsible, and any additional disciplinary measures will be based on the outcome of those processes.” The Department of Public Safety did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
including “civil and criminal charges” in some circumstances, according to a letter sent to the University community by Provost Francis Doyle. “I think that at the end of the day, we’re asking what we see as a very baseline request,” the anonymous organizer added. “We’re asking for a university that claims to represent us to divest from military weapon manufacturers.” “I’m acting as both a human who recognizes violence when I see it and wants to call it out, and also as a Jew,” Maltzman said. “My very Jewish upbringing taught me ‘tikkun olam’ — to repair the world.” Students with the group wore shirts saying “Jews for Ceasefire Now,” and some were wearing tallitot, Jewish prayer shawls. A group of counterprotesters was present at the walkout. One student, Amitai Nelkin ’25, lingered near the edge of the walkout while carrying a stack of 1,400 pieces of paper in his arms to represent the people killed in Hamas’ attack on Israel — a demonstration he called an “ask for recognition” rather than a counterprotest. “This is 1,400 pieces of paper,” said Nelkin, who is Jewish. “I was here (at the) last rally and I’m here at this rally
and they haven’t mentioned once what happened on Oct. 7. This is how many people we lost.” After the protest dispersed, the 20 students inside University Hall livestreamed on their Instagram, singing hymns, holding banners and reiterating their demands. “Among the crew here, energy is high and beautiful — we are feeling deeply in community and solidarity,” Edie Fine ’25, an organizer participating in the sit-in, wrote in a message to The Herald. “We’ve been singing and sharing stories and reminding each other and ourselves why we’re committed to this sit-in.” The group, despite being made aware that Paxson will not change her stance, is unlikely to move, Fine wrote. “We are prepared to stay here until President Christina Paxson cannot look away,” Fine wrote. “We have a large support network, we have each other and we have the courage of solidarity and the responsibility of ‘tikkun olam.’ Our Judaism, our community, our most simple and plain values as human beings compel us to continue.”
KATY PICKENS / HERALD
Additional reporting by Katy Pickens
KATY PICKENS / HERALD
Additional reporting by Katy Pickens
COURTESY OF JEWS FOR CEASEFIRE NOW
Submissions: The Brown Daily Herald publishes submissions in the form of op-eds and letters to the editor. Op-eds are typically between 600 and 900 words and advance a clear argument related to a topic of
SINCE 1891
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD 133RD EDITORIAL BOARD Editor-in-Chief Will Kubzansky Managing Editors Katy Pickens Alex Nadirashvili Senior Editors Augustus Bayard Caleb Lazar Peter Swope Kaitlyn Torres POST- MAGAZINE Editor-in-Chief Kimberly Liu NEWS Metro Editors Rhea Rasquinha Jacob Smollen Julia Vaz Jack Tajmajer Science & Research Editors Haley Sandlow Gabriella Vulakh Arts & Culture Editors Finn Kirkpatrick
Rya Vallabhaneni Sports Editor Linus Lawrence University News Editors Charlie Clynes Sam Levine Neil Mehta Haley Sandlow Kathy Wang Aniyah Nelson Katie Jain COMMENTARY Editorial Page Editors Kate Waisel Devan Paul
Photo Editors Mathieu Greco Lilly Nguyen Kaiolena Tacazon Social Media Chief Sahil Balani Podcast Editors Finn Kirkpatrick Jacob Smollen Director of Technology Swetabh Changkakoti PRODUCTION Copy Desk Chief Brendan McMahon
Head Opinions Editor Alissa Simon
Junior Copy Desk Chief Anna Dubey
Opinions Editors Juliet Fang Yael Wellisch Anika Bahl
Design Chief Neil Mehta
MULTIMEDIA Photo Chiefs Elsa Choi-Hausman Claire Diepenbrock
@the_herald
Junior Design Chief Gray Martens
Designers Allyson Chen Julia Dubnoff Joyce Gao Audrey He Michelle Jun Aijoon (Jennie) Lee Menasha Leport Nathaniel Scott Kaiolena Tacazon Angela Xu Jane Zhou BUSINESS General Managers Joe Belfield Andrew Willwerth
campus discourse. You can submit op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald.com. Letters to the editor should be around 250 words and respond to an article or column that has appeared in The Herald, or critique or commend The Herald’s editorial decisions. You can submit letters to the editor to letters@browndailyherald.com. Submissions undergo multiple rounds of editing. These rounds of editing generally take place over the course of one evening, and you may have to respond to edits late in the evening. If you know you will be unable to do so, please mention that 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. The Herald will not publish anonymous submissions or submissions authored by organizations. Leaders of student organizations can be identified as such but cannot write under the byline of their organization. The Herald cannot publish all submissions it receives and reserves the right to edit all submissions. All submissions to The Herald cannot have been previously published elsewhere (in print or online — including personal blogs and social media) and must be exclusive to The Herald. Once your submission is published in The Herald, The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. owns the copyright to the materials. Commentary: The editorial is the majority opinion of the editorial page board of The Brown Daily Herald.
Sales Director Alexander Zhou
The editorial viewpoint does not necessarily reflect the views of The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Columns,
Finance Director Eli Pullaro
Corrections: The Brown Daily Herald is committed to providing the Brown University community with
letters and comics reflect the opinions of their authors only.
the most accurate information possible. Corrections may be submitted up to seven calendar days after publication. Periodicals postage paid at Providence, R.I. Postmaster: Please send corrections to P.O. Box
Office Manager Cary Warner
Design Editors Ashley Guo Tiffany Tran
@browndailyherald
88 Benevolent, Providence, RI (401) 351-3372 www.browndailyherald.com Editorial: herald@browndailyherald.com Advertising: advertising@browndailyherald.com
2538, Providence, RI 02906. Advertising: The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. reserves the right to accept or decline any advertisement at its discretion.
The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. is a financially independent, nonprofit media organization bringing you The Brown Daily Herald and Post- Magazine. The Brown Daily Herald has served the Brown University community daily since 1891. It is published Monday through Friday during the academic year, excluding vacations, once during Commencement and once during Orientation by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. Single copy free for each member of the community. Subscription prices: $200 one year daily, $100 one semester daily. Copyright 2023 by The Brown Daily Herald, Inc. All rights reserved.
PAGE 4
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
METRO
CITY & STATE POLITICS
Democrat Gabe Amo wins special election for Rhode Island CD1 seat Amo will become first person of color to represent Rhode Island in Congress BY YA’EL SARIG SENIOR STAFF WRITER Democrat Gabe Amo, a former White House aide during the Obama and Biden administrations, won the special election for Rhode Island’s 1st U.S. Congressional District seat against Republican opponent Gerry Leonard Jr. Tuesday night. Amo’s win makes him the first person of color elected to represent Rhode Island in Congress. The Associated Press called the race at 8:10 p.m., just ten minutes after polls closed in Rhode Island. As of 10:03 p.m., Amo had garnered 64.8% of votes to Leonard’s 35.2% with more than 95% of votes in. Around 19.3% of eligible Rhode Islanders had voted in the election. The special election filled the seat vacated by Rep. David Cicilline ’83, who resigned in May 2023 after serving seven terms. Amo, a moderate Democrat, defeated progressive challengers like former state Rep. Aaron Regunberg ’12 and more established politicians like Lt. Gov. Sabina Matos in a crowded September Democratic primary.
The Providence Journal reported that state election officials may look to certify Amo’s victory as fast as possible
Leonard’s 35%. The 1st Congressional District has historically voted for Democrats. Cicil-
given the possibility that the federal government could shut down by Nov. 18. Amo, a Pawtucket native and the son of Ghanaian and Liberian immigrants, focused his campaign on gun control legislation, protections for Medicare and Social Security, reproductive health care, climate change action and support for middle-class Americans. While Amo’s primary win was perceived by some as a setback for progressive politics in the state, others saw it as evidence of the popularity of President Biden’s policies in Rhode Island. Amo also benefited from a scandal-free background — a contrast to some opponents. Edward Ruehle, a 66-year-old semi-retiree and ghostwriter, said he voted for Amo in both Tuesday’s election and in the primary. Ruehle, a Democrat, supported Amo because of his matching party affiliation, which he says has “become much more important” recently in today’s divided political climate. Amo is “fairly liberal,” Ruehle said, “but he’s not progressive in an unrealistic sense.” Kevin Proft, a 38-year-old city employee who lives in Fox Point, said he voted for Amo because of his belief that Amo’s experience in government will
line secured his initial election victory in 2010 and maintained his seat through five consecutive reelections, consistently achieving 60% of the vote or more. The last Republican to hold the seat was Ronald Machtley, who served from 1989 to 1995. Thomas Wesley, a 68-year-old retiree who said he’s always been active in politics, told The Herald he voted for Leonard because he thought Leonard could bring balance to the political arena, citing what he saw as Leonard’s commitment to lead “from the middle.” Leonard previously stated that he is opposed to extremism on both sides of the political spectrum. As a military veteran, Wesley said that Leonard’s service resonated with him. Democrat Jacob Bissaillon, the former chief of staff to the Rhode Island state Senate president, won a special election also held Tuesday to fill a seat in Rhode Island Senate District 1 after the death of Majority Whip Maryellen Goodwin. Bissaillon beat Niyoka Powell, the Republican nominee, who ran unopposed for her party’s nomination.
COURTESY OF EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
A Pawtucket local, Democrat Gabe Amo campaigned on enhancing gun control, taking action on climate change and protecting Medicare and Social Security. help him effectively write and implement public policy. Leonard, a new face in the political field, entered the election after more than three decades of service in the U.S. Marine Corps. A Jamestown native, Leonard won a sweeping victory in the
Republican primary with 75.7% of the vote, The Herald previously reported. Early polling suggested Leonard’s campaign would be an uphill battle. According to a Salve Regina University poll conducted on Oct. 26, which oversampled GOP voters, Amo led 46% to
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 7, 2023.
ENVIRONMENT
Biden administration designates new ‘Tech Hub’ in Rhode Island R.I. Commerce’s Ocean Tech Hub receives federal grant to develop ‘blue economy’ BY TOM LI SENIOR STAFF WRITER On Oct. 23, the Biden-Harris Administration designated the Ocean Tech Hub of Southeastern New England as one of 31 “Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs” across the United States. The U.S. Economic Development Administration also awarded the Ocean Tech Hub one of 29 Strategy Development Grants to “further develop their technology-based regional economic development strategy,” according to the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s website. The Tech Hubs Program, which is part of the Biden administration’s CHIPS and Science Act of 2022, hopes to “strengthen U.S. economic and national security” by investing in the growth of new, competitive industries, according to EDA’s website. The program is made possible by President Joe Biden’s Investing in America agenda, a series of legislations passed to stimulate growth in the private sector through government investment. Led by the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation, the Ocean Tech Hub is a consortium of 16 community partners across Rhode Island and Massachusetts, including 401 Tech Bridge, IBM, R.I. Marine Trades Association and numerous research universities such as Brown. The OTH
was formed earlier this year, following the enactment of the federal Tech Hubs Program in May, according to the Hub’s website. The OTH and its new designation represent a step forward in the development of Rhode Island’s blue economy, according to Christian Cowan, executive director of the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation.“We define the blue economy as the sustainable use of the ocean and our water assets to create a resilient economy and good-paying jobs,” he said. Cowan highlighted the Grow Blue Partnership, an initiative led by the University of Rhode Island. Its members created the 2030 Blue Economy Action Plan,
which outlines numerous measures and strategies to stimulate ocean technology development and the blue economy. “The Ocean Tech Hub is focused on undersea autonomy and artificial intelligence-enabled vehicles and sensors,” Cowan said. “The blue economy is really leveraging our ocean and our natural geography to build an economic base and provide jobs (while) ... addressing climate change and sea (level) rise.” “Ocean Tech Hub strives to make Southeastern New England a global leader in ocean technology,” wrote
Matthew Touchette, director of public affairs for R.I. Commerce, in an email to The Herald. Touchette added that the OTH designation encourages investments from outside actors, such as venture capital and private equity firms. “This funding ripples through the local economy, creating jobs and fostering growth, benefiting the overall public.” As a member of the consortium, Brown is “providing strategic advice on the effort, identifying additional assets, partners and constituencies, recommending research to highlight the key technology focus areas and offering overall guidance on the application,” Albert Dahlberg, the University’s assistant vice president of government and
JENNIFER CHEN / HERALD
community relations, wrote in an email to The Herald. Dahlberg also shared that the University has established a new research center for the Mechanics of Undersea Science and Engineering. The center aims “to carry out focused, foundational research targeting the technical challenges in undersea mechanics, which includes leading in the mechanics research on undersea vehicles and platforms,” he wrote. “With a growing research focus on ocean engineering, science and technology, Brown is excited to collaborate with partners to support the commercialization of new discoveries, the creation of new jobs locally and the strength of the state’s blue economy,” President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 said in a press release from Governor Dan McKee’s office. Cowan also hopes that the blue economy projects will create new, high-paying jobs to keep Brown graduates in Rhode Island. “This designation is a boon to our momentum,” Touchette wrote, noting that the Tech Hub designation allows the OTH to apply for a Phase 2 Implementation Grant from the EDA, which can provide up to $70 million in funding for the execution of blue economy initiatives. “Ocean technology and the ocean economy has been part of the innovation ecosystem in Rhode Island for decades,” McKee said in a press release. “This designation validates Rhode Island’s national position in this growing global market.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 5, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 5
METRO
CITY & STATE POLITICS
Smiley proposes reallocation of $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds Proposal targets housing, food security, infrastructure, nears city council passage BY YAEL SARIG SENIOR STAFF WRITER Providence Mayor Brett Smiley has proposed reallocating $20 million of remaining federal American Rescue Plan Act money to housing and other local priorities. The proposal was reviewed and approved by the Providence City Council Thursday, though the amendments will need to pass the council again to go into effect. ARPA, a COVID-19 era federal stimulus package signed into law by President Joe Biden, distributed hundreds of billions of dollars to local governments. Through a combination of city and county funds, Providence was allocated a total of $166 million. About $81 million of that funding has already been spent, according to Patricia Socarras, Smiley’s communications director. Of the roughly $85 million remaining, $64 million has already been allocated toward a specific project or program. The remaining nearly $20 million is the focus of the Smiley administration’s reallocation proposal. The amended ordinances still work within the framework developed by the previous administration, which assembled a COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Task Force that met with community members to understand areas of greatest need in Providence, Socarras said. The task force ultimately recommended that the money go to several key areas, spending the most on city services, housing and homelessness, youth and community investments and racial equity. During a City Council Committee
on Finance meeting, Providence Chief Operating Officer Courtney Hawkins said that the goal of the revisions was
was happy to see more money being allocated towards housing. “We’ve been underbuilding since
transform Kennedy Plaza into a theme park catering to upper-middle-class tourists and residents,” Raub wrote.
Lessons about Providence’s capacity to provide food safely in emergency situations have led to a proposed $125,000
to invest in “that will have a longer life for the city and are more foundational to the broader goals we’re trying to achieve.” “It’s not about good or bad necessarily, but about maximizing this onetime funding to try to achieve some bigger goals,” Hawkins said.
the mid-1980s, so we’ve got a lot of catch-up to do and plenty of opportunities to invest,” she said. But Clement noted that while housing agencies in Providence welcome the money, it still takes several years to get projects online. “It’s not an immediate solution to our shortage of winter beds,” she added. The other largest proposed reallocation is a nearly $10 million cut to funding for Downtown Open Spaces. This money was intended for a Kennedy Plaza redesign, but because the Rhode Island Public Transit Authority is currently in conversations about moving the bus hub to Dorrance Street, “we don’t think that it’s necessarily wise to invest all this money and change in Kennedy Plaza,” Socarras said. Cristy Raposo Perry, director of communications and public outreach for Rhode Island Public Transit Authority, declined to comment. In August, the agency announced it had voted to engage in a private-public partnership for the creation of the hub. According to Socarras, the redesign would have connected downtown and the Kennedy Plaza area with Waterplace Park via an elevated walkway. According to the Providence Journal, it also called to add a performance space and splash park, among other amenities. While R.I. Transit Riders — an advocacy organization working to “preserve, expand and improve public transportation in Rhode Island” — appreciated some aspects of the Kennedy Plaza redesign they were not in favor of most of it, Co-coordinator Patricia Raub wrote in an email to The Herald. “In our opinion, it was intended to
“The transit footprint would have been shrunk considerably, and the bus berths would have been located only at opposite ends of the square, making it difficult for riders to transfer from one bus line to another.” “We think that Mayor Smiley was right to put this ill-conceived and very expensive plan on pause, if not abandon it altogether,” she added.
increase in food security grants, Socarras said. The funds would be used as direct grants for food pantry programs in Providence, Kate MacDonald, director of communications for the Rhode Island Community Food Bank, wrote in an email to The Herald. The organization would not receive any of those funds, but its Providence-based member agencies could. “Food pantries in Providence have recently seen a dramatic increase in the number of people needing food assistance,” Andrew Schiff, CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank Andrew Schiff, wrote in a statement sent to The Herald. “Additional funding from the city will be a welcomed support to the work of these highly trafficked pantries,” he added. The proposed reallocation would also bolster right-to-counsel funding as part of the city’s eviction defense program. It would additionally invest in the resiliency of India Point to the tune of $3 million. According to Socarras, the administration has prioritized shifting money away from programs that need continued funding in order to be effective and towards programs that can be highly effective with just one-time funding. The Smiley administration’s longterm goal is to ensure that the ARPA money has the largest impact possible for years to come. “When else is the city of Providence going to be able to get a large investment like this?” Socarras said. “How can we get the most bang for our buck?”
Funding to address the housing crisis The proposal includes a large increase in funding for the Providence Redevelopment Agency Housing Trust, which funds affordable housing for low-income families in Providence. The trust, which was already allocated over $17 million in the original ordinances, would receive an additional $10 million in funding in the updated proposal. The proposed change aims to tackle Providence’s ongoing housing crisis. In recent years, Providence has grappled with a severe shortage of affordable housing, escalating rent prices and a growing number of residents experiencing homelessness. According to Socarras, another proposed $2.77 million funding increase for emergency housing solutions is expected to go towards the extension or creation of shelter beds — a pressing priority as winter approaches. Rapid rehousing programs would lose $2.77 million under the new proposal. According to Socarras, the goal of this reallocation is to consolidate the city’s budget so that programs aren’t “coming out of several pots of money” and to avoid expanding emergency housing at the expense of rehousing. Brenda Clement, director of HousingWorks RI, told The Herald that she
Long-term needs Other portions of the remaining ARPA funding would be dedicated to areas of need that have long existed in the city. Among the projects is $1 million for Cranston Street Armory investments. But the budget item is essentially just a placeholder, according to Socarras. The armory, a historic building in Providence that was once home to the Rhode Island National Guard, has been mostly vacant since the 1990s. Various projects have proposed its renovation, including a proposed $55 million package to redevelop the building. As recently as May 2023, the armory served as a temporary site for emergency housing. The Smiley administration hopes to assume ownership of the armory from the state on the condition that Rhode Island provides funding to cover years of deferred maintenance costs under state ownership. The administration has also proposed a $1 million increase in parking meter replacement, which Socarras described as an urgent need since an estimated 25% of Providence’s parking meters are broken. Other proposed investments focus on new or emerging issues since the pandemic.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 2, 2023.
Department of of History Department Brown University Brown presents presents
The The 44th 43rd William F. Church Memorial Memorial Lecture
the Apocalypse to theEnslaved “On Race“From and Reinscription: Writing Idea of Progress Early Modern Europe” Women into theinEarly Modern Archive” John Jeffries Martin Jennifer L. Morgan
Professor of History, Duke University Professor of History, New York University Thursday,November November16, 3, 2022 Thursday, 2023 5:30 5:30 p.m. Smith-Buonanno Room 106 106 Smith-Buonanno Hall Hall || Room
Free and open open to to the the public. public
5 sixteenth the first half the seventeenth century, In In thisthe talk, Jennifer and L. Morgan uses theofhistory of three black women expressed their hopes for the an apocalyptic, fromEuropeans the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries to future explorewithin questions of methodology even millenarian frame. But in seventeenth and throughout the and archives in the early history ofthe the late Black Atlantic. Through evidence from eighteenth a new language of hope emerged as the and Ideapossibilities of Progressof visual art, law,century and commerce, Morgan considers the challenges took hold. This presentation transition attention crafting a social-historical study ofexplores women this whose voices arewith so often absentboth from to record, the emergence oflives secular and tohave shifting notions of the archival but whose and values perspectives proven to be essential for Divine Providence the early modern world. comprehending the in origins of racial capitalism. CLAIRE DIEPENBROCK / HERALD
Out of an initial $166 million allocated to the city, $20 million is not currently allocated to specific projects.
PAGE 6
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
SPORTS
FOOTBALL
Brown football falls 35-17 to Yale at Saturday’s home game Brown’s 334 offensive yards mark second-lowest total of season BY LINUS LAWRENCE SPORTS EDITOR In a turnover-filled contest at Brown Stadium on Saturday, the football team (4-4, 2-3 Ivy League) fell 36-17 to Yale (5-3, 3-2). “I think in two phases of the game — offense and special teams — we can play a lot better,” Head Coach James Perry ’00 said. “So I was dissatisfied with that. And good teams make you pay.” “We were just on the short end of the stick a couple of times, but we played hard the whole game,” backup quarterback Nate Lussier ’24 said. The Bears held a 10-6 lead over the Bulldogs after the first quarter, with kicker Christopher Maron ’25 hitting a 22-yard field goal and receiver Wes Rockett ’23.5 executing a flawless reverse to sneak into the endzone for a touchdown. Thanks to strong play from Yale quarterback Nolan Grooms, who finished the day with 220 passing yards and 112 rushing yards, the Bulldogs took a 16-10 lead entering halftime and made the score 22-10 early in the
third quarter on their third touchdown of the day. With the Bulldogs threatening to make it a three-possession game at the start of another drive, Bears cornerback Isaiah Reed ’25 snagged a pass from Grooms and took the football all the way to the endzone for an electrifying pick-six. Last week in a thrilling victory against Penn, Reed racked up a pair of interceptions, giving him three in his last two games. He now leads the Ivy League with four interceptions this season. “We game-planned for that play, and when I saw it I just reacted,” Reed said. “My teammates made the right decisions and Coach made a great call.” “That was a huge play for us,” said Lussier, who passed for 21 yards in the game. “We all believe (Isaiah’s) the best in the league, so we trust him to do stuff like that.” Momentum appeared to be swinging in Bruno’s favor, but the Bulldogs soon quieted the crowd with two touchdowns in a one-minute span thanks to a blocked punt. After a scoreless fourth quarter, the Bears’ time to mount a comeback had run out. The Bears’ defense put up a strong effort, with linebacker and co-captain Ethan Royer ’23.5 racking up a
career-high ten tackles. Offensively, Bruno collected 334 total yards, their second-lowest total of the season. “There were some moments where (if ) we could get something going offensively, it would have been very interesting,” Perry said, “but we just had trouble actually getting any movement with the ball, and when we did they buckled down really well.” Yale’s defense was effective all day, playing aggressively and applying pressure on Bears quarterback Jake Willcox ’24. “Anybody who’s gonna try to move the ball on them is gonna have to throw the ball better than we did today because they’re very, very strong,” Perry added. “I think moving forward, I’m sure when we look at the film we’ll see some things schematically we could have done, some plays we could have called differently — but just on the field you could feel the force of the way their (defensive) line was playing.” The result of both sides’ strong defense was a slew of turnovers. Yale picked up two
interceptions and forced two fumbles, while the Bears’ defense grabbed three interceptions. Following another three-pick effort against Penn last week, Brown has now recorded three interceptions in consecutive games for the first time since 2011. While the Bulldogs were able to take advantage of the Bears’ mistakes throughout the game, Bruno struggled to capitalize on critical opportunities. “Generally speaking, those turnovers, we need those to turn to points, but that’s easier said than done,” Perry said. “We had a few mistakes — obviously a couple of fumbles we wish we could take back,” said tight end Dillon Golden ’26. “But we’ll look back at it, practice harder and we’ll be ready for next weekend.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 5, 2023.
CORTESY OF CHIP DELORENZO/ BROWN ATHLETICS
The Bears recorded three interceptions in consecutive games for the first time since 2011 following three picks against Penn last week.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Women’s soccer stumbles at Ivy tournament with loss to Columbia First-round loss in overtime breaks 28-game unbeaten streak against Ivy opponents BY NICHOLAS MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Brown women’s soccer team (11-2-2, 7-0-0 Ivy League), regular season champions of the Ivy League, failed to add another trophy to their resume after being upset by Columbia (10-3-3, 3-2-2) 2-1 in the first round of the Ivy League tournament at Stevenson-Pincince Field on Friday night. The loss is the Bears’ first to an Ivy opponent since 2018. With the defeat, Bruno failed to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, which went to Harvard after the Crimson defeated Columbia 3-0 on Sunday in the Ivy Tournament Championship. Brown will likely still earn an at-large bid during the tournament selection show Monday afternoon, with its RPI still tied for eighth in the country. Whether the University will host its first-round matchup in Providence is unknown. The Bears were outplayed for long stretches of Friday’s game, failing to record a shot on target in the entirety of the second half and overtime. “I feel like we could have been a little more aggressive and intentional,” Head Coach Kia McNeill said. “I don’t think we did a good job of, when we won the ball, trying to connect and play up the field.” “Our team was kind of gassed
out by the end of the game, so we were just trying to survive,” she said. After an even first 40 minutes, forward Brittany Raphino ’23.5 broke the deadlock with a stunning goal from outside the box. She picked up the ball in the midfield, drove forward and decided to shoot, firing a left-footed laser into the left corner. Brown almost scored a second goal before the half was over. With less than 10 seconds left until the break, a Brown freekick at midfield was sent into the box where it was headed down and then volleyed off the post by defender Naya Cardoza ’26. Two seconds were left on the clock when the ball struck the woodwork. The miss proved costly. In the second half, Columbia controlled most of the play and in the 54th minute, midfielder Kat Jordan evened the score. On the corner of the box, Jordan drove forward and, with the Brown defense backing off, she fired a shot to the near post past diving Bears goalkeeper Clare Gagne ’24. After the goal, Columbia continued to create chances while the Brown attack was largely nonexistent. The Bears played in a different formation than they typically do, sporting a diamond in the midfield with forward Ava Seelenfreund ’23.5 playing in an attacking midfield role rather than her typical position in a strike-partnership with Raphino. After scoring 10 goals last year, Seelenfreund has only found the back of the net once this season. “We felt like the partnership with
(Seelenfreund) and (Raphino), people had seen it for the last three, four years so we wanted to change things up,” McNeill said. “Having (Seelenfreund) more as a recess player underneath would give her some more looks at goal.” But still, aggressive and physical marking along with a deep back line from the Columbia defense largely neutralized any threat that the Brown attack posed. In overtime, Bears midfielder Joy Okonye ’27 cleared a Columbia shot off the line to keep the game level. But soon after, the Lions finally broke through. A shot deflected off the post right to forward Shira Cohen, who lifted the ball into the open net. The defeat put an end to a stunning run of dominance for the Brown women’s soccer team, which had previously gone 26-0-2 in their last 28 games against Ivy opponents. “The streak (was) going to end at some point,” McNeill said. “It’s good for this team to face some adversity. I’d rather face it now than in the NCAA tournament.” “I don’t think this loss takes away anything from what this team has achieved thus far, so we’re looking forward to the NCAAs and moving on,” McNeill said. “We’ve lost two games the entire season. Some teams only have two wins the entire season. So I think we have to keep everything in perspective.” Brown will find out its tournament fate at 4 p.m. Monday. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 5, 2023.
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
Friday’s loss is the Bears’ first to an Ivy opponent since 2018. With the defeat, Bruno failed to earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 7
SPORTS
MEN’S SOCCER
Men’s soccer draws Yale, clinches Ivy League Tournament spot Bears’ seventh tie this year secures first undefeated conference record since 2007 BY COOPER HERMAN CONTRIBUTING WRITER On Saturday evening, the Brown men’s soccer team (5-4-7, 2-0-5 Ivy League) clinched a postseason berth after a 0-0 draw against Yale (8-5-3, 3-1-3). The Bears’ tie on Saturday led them to their first undefeated Ivy season since 2007 and solidified their fourth place finish in the Ivy League standings. “We came here and got a result, and the staff and I are excited to coach this team another week and continue to get better,” Head Coach Chase Wileman said in a statement to Brown Athletics. “We’re really proud of the team, the program and everyone involved with Brown men’s soccer. We have a postseason game which hasn’t happened in a while, so we’re excited to compete and play another game.” The Bears took on a Yale team known for its ferocious defense and rapid pace. Led by goalie Chris Edwards and reigning second-team AllIvy defender TJ Presthus, the Yale Bulldogs limited opponents to one goal or fewer in 11 of their 16 games this year. Their defensive strength showed Saturday, as the Bears did not have a single shot on goal in the first half.
Early in the game, the Bears’ back four defenders resiliently fended off a talented group of Yale forwards. At the 15:51 mark, a Yale corner kick resulted in shots from Bulldogs Presthus and Sam Harshe. But Brown’s defense escaped a threatening situation, as both shots missed — one going out top and the other out left. Despite a fraught start, Brown picked up the tempo in the second half, as Kojo Dadzie ’24 — who leads the team in scoring this season with seven goals — led the offensive front, firing two shots on goal. Rookie forward Lorenzo Amaral ’27 also added a shot on goal of his own in the second half. Yale’s Edwards, a senior goalie, stood tall, saving both shots and shutting out the Bears. Midfielder Charlie Adams ’24 wrote in an email to The Herald that despite the scoreless outing, the Bears were able to “get in some great areas against Yale.” Adams credited his teammates, writing that the “defenders and midfielders showed a ton of composure and allowed us to work the ball into some good areas in the attack throughout the game.” Perhaps the star of the evening for the Bears was goalie Hudson Blatteis ’24. Blatteis played yet another strong game, shutting out the Yale Bulldogs to claim his sixth shutout this season. He also made two saves, both in the second half. Despite his impressive shutout performance, Blatteis credited his
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
The Bears will take on Penn, the top finisher in the Ivy League’s regular season standings, in Philadelphia on Friday in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals. teammates for the scoreless outing. “I think the back four played a major role in the clean sheet Saturday,” Blatteis wrote. “Yale is a team that loves to just kick the ball right over you and run, but I think for the most part we stayed calm and dealt with it well.” Now, the Bears are prepared to make a postseason run in the first-ever men’s Ivy League soccer tournament. Blatteis wrote that the team is “excited and ready to give it everything.” Blatteis, who came off the bench midseason to assume the starting goalie spot, added that “playing in the post-
season is already a major achievement, but doing it as a senior is even more special. It’s important to go into the mindset of playing every game like it could be your last, and this just makes me appreciate it even more,” he wrote. The Bears’ preparation will be tested on Friday, when they play the Ivy League’s first-place finisher, Penn (7-3-5, 4-1-2), in the tournament’s semifinal round. The tournament’s winner will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA men’s soccer tournament.
Adams wrote that Penn is a “good team that is very solid defensively,” but noted that the Bears have “been very strong as a team defensively as well and will continue to work on putting the ball in the back of the net.” “We’re confident in the way we play,” he added. The Bears and Quakers will face off in Philadelphia Friday at 6:30 p.m. It will be televised on ESPN+. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 7, 2023.
WOMEN’S SOCCER
Women’s soccer earns No. 3 seed in NCAA tournament after Friday’s loss Bears will host Quinnipiac University in first-round matchup on Saturday BY NICHOLAS MILLER SENIOR STAFF WRITER During the NCAA tournament selection Monday afternoon, the women’s soccer team (11-2-2, 7-0 Ivy) earned a No. 3 seed in their region of the NCAA tournament bracket, its highest position in decades. They will host a first-round game against Quinnipiac University on Saturday at 4 p.m. Should Brown defeat Quinnipiac, it will play the winner of Mississippi State University vs. Providence College — which dealt the Bears their lone regular season loss this season — in a game at Stanford University, the No. 2 seed in Brown’s region. “This is where we wanted to be as a team with an NCAA bid at the end of the season,” Head Coach Kia McNeill said in
COURTESY OF BROWN ATHLETICS
a press release from Brown Athletics. “I think getting a three seed shows the respect the committee has for our team and the impressive season we have had, and we’re excited to keep this journey going.” The announcement comes on the heels of the team’s Friday loss in the first round of the Ivy tournament to Columbia. The high seeding placement demonstrates the selection committee’s recognition of the Bears’ regular season dominance, which included going undefeated in Ivy League play and posting a 4-1-2 record in non-conference play. “Coming into the NCAA Selection Show, we were pretty confident that we would be an At-Large bid to the tournament … That being said, it never gets old hearing your team’s name called out as one of the remaining 64 schools still playing, and as the Ivy League School with the highest seed,” wrote goalie Clare Gagne ’24 in a message to The Herald.
“I can’t understate the work we’ve done to get us to this point and I’m so proud of every single person on this team for the dedication and sacrifice it’s taken to get us where we are,” Gagne added. The selections also showed the committee’s belief in the quality of the Ivy League conference, with all four teams that made the Ivy tournament —Harvard, Princeton, Columbia and Brown — not just making the NCAA tournament, but also earning the right to host their firstround matchup. “It’s pretty incredible that the Ivy League has four teams in the tournament,” Gagne wrote. “To have the Ivy League recognized with four bids to the tournament is truly an incredible feeling and something I’m personally very grateful to be a part of.” The Bears are led by star forward Brittany Raphino ’23.5, who was recently announced as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year for the third consecutive season. In October, she moved into
sole possession of second place on the Bears’ all-time points leaderboard. McNeill was also named Ivy League Coach of the Year this season. In Quinnipiac, Brown will face an opponent with an explosive offense that ranks 12th in the nation with 2.63 goals per game. The Bobcats dominated the MAAC conference but encountered more difficulty in non-conference games against stronger opponents. Against teams that Brown also faced this season, Quinnipiac went 0-3, losing 3-0 to Providence, 1-0 to Dartmouth and 4-2 to Princeton. This is perhaps the Bears’ best chance in program history to advance far into the national tournament. Brown has never made the semifinals of the NCAA tournament and hasn’t made the quarterfinals since 1984. During their current stretch of four consecutive Ivy League titles, Bruno has failed to advance beyond the second round of the tournament. “Looking forward (to) this weekend
and the start of the tournament, it’s going to be about taking one game at a time. As a team, we put a lot of emphasis on doing the little things right, and that starts with our effort and intent this week throughout training,” Gagne wrote. “This is the most exciting time of year because every game is win or go home, and for quite a few of us, any game could be our last with Brown Women’s Soccer,” Gagne added. “I think that’s something every person on this team really embraces because we know how special this group is and we know what we are fighting for every moment of this tournament.” The Bears’ first-round matchup will be played at Stevenson-Pincince Field, and available to stream on ESPN+. Additional reporting by Linus Lawrence This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 6, 2023.
post-
APR 14 — VOL 31 — ISSUE 9
See Full Issue: ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH
NOV 9 — VOL 32 — ISSUE 7
Letter from the Editor Dear Readers, It recently dawned on me that I, much like our beloved school mascot, hibernate. I don’t mean this in a lie-cozily-in-bed-all-day-and-stuff-myself-with-sweet-treats kind of way, but in a block-out-my-entire-GCal-and-lock-myself-up-in-various-study-spaces kind of way. Once a month, the stars align and my professors meet up for coffee (I imagine) to answer the age-old question: How do we schedule every exam, paper, and presentation to be due within the same 72-hour span? I’ve heard most people refer to this as their “hell week,” but I choose to reframe that into a warmer, less anxiety-inducing experience: hibernation. The week leading up to my exams, I make my coffee in the morning, pack up every device and charger in my Apple ecosystem, and stake claim over a study space for the day, a den. While the idea of several hours of alone time sounds mentally and emotionally draining—which I must admit, dear Readers, it often is—there is something comforting to me about falling into routines. The red and gold leaves adorning the trees on my walk to the Rock, the rotation of songs on my study playlist, the whiteboard mural of diagrams and pathways. It’s these reliable details that make my den more homey, more bearable (I had to, I’m sorry). Our writers this week also reflect on dens of their own. In Feature, our writer talks about how food brings people together as she recounts her experience working at a restaurant. In Narrative, both writers share love letters to the dens that make them feel most at home—one to New England, and the other to her childhood treehouse. In A&C, one writer’s pursuit of a den while studying abroad leads her to meditate on the obsession of creating lists and how they confine our experiences. Another A&C writer discusses the nuances of girlhood in popular canon. In Lifestyle, our writers touch on the boundless possibilities of the human experience as one shares ways to feel alive, while the other talks about reinventing herself. As I write this from the cavern-like stacks of the Rock, I encourage you to read post- from your most comfortable den. Maybe it’s a nook at the Ratty, paired with some hearty French onion soup on a chilly day. Or perhaps it’s the couch in your suite that catches the sunset’s glow from the Quiet Green. Wherever it may be, I hope our pieces make you feel at home. So so eepy,
Katheryne Gonzalez Narrative Managing Editor
See Full Issue: (and crossword answers)
ISSUU.COM/POSTMAGAZINEBDH
Breaking Bread samira lakhiani
Whispered Memories of Home ana vissicchio
The Girlhood Renaissance malena colon
6
Love Letter to New England sarah frank
The Bucket List Curse dorrit corwin
Top 5 Ways to Live
Reinventing
Daphne Cao
Gabrielle Yuan
“He literally is different. He is circumcised.”
“My biggest regret is that I’ve never been a sea urchin.”
1
2
3
Don't Forget!
4
by Lily Coffman
Across
1
5
5
6 7 8
7
6
Something you might forget when saying hello Wild, as an animal or obsessive fan CA city for influencers and avacado toast lovers Early time Something that you should never forget, especially in Texas
that if forgotten, may 10 Something cause an embarrassing walk to Grad Center for a replacement
Down
9
8
1 2
Zora _____ Hurston State bordered by TX, OK, MO, TN, MS, & LA
3 Southern woman red monster who 4 Furry often refers to himself in
10
third person
5 When taken, strong criticism 9 All-purpose exclamation EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Kimberly Liu
“I can recall the way my life began only through stories I’ve been told. I have the facts, but have to infer the emotions. Where does a story reside when its physical proof and its memory are separated and can never coexist?” —Marin Warshay, “Woven into the Seams” 11.4.22
“Waveless, windless, starless night. The loon shatters that dark-nothing, adding more breath until its yodel falls into vast looping echoes, painting textures and distances on the black canvas before me. " —Isaac Eng, “On Loon Time” 11.05.21
post–
Want to be involved? Email: mingyue_liu@brown.edu!
Section Editors Emily Tom Anaya Mukerji
FEATURE Managing Editor Klara Davidson-Schmich
LIFESTYLE Managing Editor Tabitha Lynn
Section Editors Addie Marin Lilliana Greyf
Section Editors Jack Cobey Daniella Coyle
ARTS & CULTURE Managing Editor Joe Maffa
HEAD ILLUSTRATORS Emily Saxl Ella Buchanan
Section Editors Elijah Puente Rachel Metzger
COPY CHIEF Eleanor Peters
NARRATIVE Managing Editor Katheryne Gonzalez
Copy Editors Indigo Mudhbary Emilie Guan Christine Tsu
SOCIAL MEDIA HEAD EDITORS Kelsey Cooper Tabitha Grandolfo Kaitlyn Lucas LAYOUT CHIEF Gray Martens Layout Designers Amber Zhao Alexa Gay STAFF WRITERS Dorrit Corwin Lily Seltz Alexandra Herrera Liza Kolbasov Marin Warshay Gabrielle Yuan Elena Jiang
Aalia Jagwani AJ Wu Nélari Figueroa Torres Daniel Hu Mack Ford Olivia Cohen Ellie Jurmann Sean Toomey Sarah Frank Emily Tom Ingrid Ren Evan Gardner Lauren Cho Laura Tomayo Sylvia Atwood Audrey Wijono Jeanine Kim Ellyse Givens Sydney Pearson Samira Lakhiani Cat Gao
Want to be involved? Email: mingyue_liu@brown.edu!
November 9, 2023�7
PAGE 10
COMMENTARY
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
Brown faculty call for a ceasefire in Israel-Palestine and the protection of academic freedom and student activism Editors’ note: The letter below was first internally circulated to faculty Nov. 2, 2023. This letter has been sent to President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 with additional signatories who opted not to make their names public. We, the undersigned faculty at Brown University, are deeply aggrieved by the catastrophic events unfolding in Israel and Palestine, especially but not limited to Gaza. We unequivocally condemn any attacks on civilians, including the horrific attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7 which killed up to 1,400 Israelis, including children, and we call for the immediate release of all hostages. So, too, do we condemn the Israeli military’s appalling siege and bombardment of Gaza that, largely with U.S.-made weapons, has now killed over 8,500 Palestinians, 67% of whom are women and children, and displaced over 1 million Palestinians since Oct. 7. At a time of such staggering civilian casualties and destruction in Gaza, which is coinciding with unprecedented national and media-driven campaigns to silence or stigmatize voices in support of Palestinian human rights, we call on our colleagues and the administration to draw strength from the core values of Brown and use their power to:
1. Join the international calls for an immediate ceasefire and an end to Israel’s siege of Gaza so that life-saving food, water and medicine can reach Palestinian civilians. 2. Affirm and advocate for the protection and ability of our students, staff and faculty to speak up for Palestinian human rights without censorship or intimidation. In this charged national environment, we understand that universities are under pressure to silence criticism of Israeli government actions and activism for Palestinian human rights by equating such speech and activism with antisemitism. Yet, it is precisely at such times of crisis, fear and misinformation that we as scholars, faculty and university leaders must demand moral consistency, including the protection of all civilian lives. It is precisely now that we must affirm the principles of academic freedom and free speech for all on our campus, alongside the rejection of hate speech including antisemitism, Islamophobia and anti-Arab racism. And it is precisely now that we must allow for open, informed and evidence-based discussions so that the most rigorous, scrupulous and compelling arguments on contested issues can come forward.
At this pivotal historical juncture, we respectfully call on our University president to: (1) Urge Rhode Island’s senators to support legislation demanding a ceasefire, an end to Israel’s siege and a political resolution to this conflict based on justice and equality; (2) issue a public-facing letter decrying the recent threats to freedom of expression and inquiry on American campuses, which have sought to intimidate those addressing the context and root causes of ongoing violence in Israel-Palestine and (3) issue a letter to our University community affirming that — as with any other subject — the University administration will not tolerate efforts to intimidate, censor or punish Brown students, staff and faculty for exercising their constitutional right to free speech, activism and scholarship when it comes to Israel-Palestine. There must be no “Palestine Exception” to free speech at Brown. As for a ceasefire, some may say it is not the place of university leaders to interfere in thorny questions of foreign policy. What is happening in Gaza is far beyond that. On Oct. 29, Save the Children reported 3,195 Palestinian children have been killed in Gaza by Israel’s air strikes and auxiliary operations over three weeks —
surpassing the annual number of children killed across the world’s conflict zones (over 20 countries) since 2019. Given the critical role of U.S. munitions and political support for Israel’s ongoing military operations in Gaza, we firmly believe this is a moral concern that implicates all Americans regardless of ethnicity, religion or political opinion. It is the same moral concern that — long before Oct. 7, 2023 — inspired the acclaimed legal scholar and civil rights activist Michelle Alexander (author of “The New Jim Crow,” Brown First Reading for 2015), to declare that America’s civic leaders must no longer remain silent on “one of the great moral challenges of our time: the crisis in Israel-Palestine.” We encourage the ongoing efforts of our University administration to cultivate a campus community in which all students, staff and faculty — especially those with loved ones directly affected by the conflict — are supported and heard. However, we cannot and should not support fanning the flames of war by inflicting collective punishment on innocent Palestinian civilians with American weapons and technology. And no one should be allowed to restrict the right of our students, staff or faculty for raising these points loudly and clearly.
As of Nov. 7, 2023, the opinion above was signed by the following members of the Brown University faculty, in alphabetical order: aliyyah i. abdur-rahman, Departments of American Studies and English Faiz Ahmed, Department of History Nadje Al-Ali, Department of Anthropology, Center for Middle East Studies and Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Leticia Alvarado, Department of American Studies Elsa Amanatidou, Department of Classics Amanda Anderson, Cogut Institute for the Humanities and Department of English Peter Andreas, Department of Political Science and Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Ariella Aïsha Azoulay, Departments of Modern Culture and Media and Comparative Literature Saleem Ashkar, Department of Music Joshua Babcock, Department of Anthropology Muhammad Baig, Warren Alpert Medical School Tiraana Bains, Department of History Richard Baldoz, Department of American Studies Omer Bartov, Department of History Laura Bass, Department of Hispanic Studies Reda Bensmaia, Emeritus, Departments of French and Francophone Studies and Comparative Literature Susan Bernstein, Departments of Comparative Literature and German Studies Timothy Bewes, Department of English John Bodel, Departments of Classics and History Anthony Bogues, Simmons Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice, Departments of Africana Studies and the History of Art and Architecture Sheila Bonde, Department of the History of Art and Architecture, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World Leslie Bostrom, Department of Visual Art Cynthia Brokaw, Departments of History and East Asian Studies Mari Jo Buhle, Emerita, Departments of American Studies and History Stuart Burrows, Department of English Stephen Bush, Department of Religious Studies Vangelis Calotychos, Department of Classics Prudence Carter, Department of Sociology Holly Case, Department of History John Cayley, Department of Literary Arts Melody Chan, Department of Mathematics Silvia Chiang, Department of Pediatrics, Warren Alpert Medical School Tamara Chin, Department of Comparative Literature Mahasan Chaney, Department of Education Kenneth Chay, Department of Economics Mark Cladis, Department of Religious Studies
Michelle Clayton, Departments of Hispanic Studies and Comparative Literature Alexandra Collins, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health Ruth Colwill, Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences Hal Cook, Department of History Joan Copjec, Department of Modern Culture and Media Denise Davis, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program, Pembroke Center Bathsheba Demuth, Department of History and Institute at Brown for Environment and Society Lisa Di Carlo, Department of Sociology Fulvio Domini, Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences Beshara Doumani, Department of History Carolina Ebeid, Department of Literary Arts Miled Faiza, Center for Language Studies Paja Faudree, Department of Anthropology and Program in Linguistics Linford Fisher, Department of History James L. Fitzgerald, Emeritus, Department of Classics Lina M. Fruzzetti, Department of Anthropology Leela Gandhi, Cogut Institute for Humanities and Department of English Eva Gómez García, Department of Hispanic Studies Macarena Gómez-Barris, Department of Modern Culture and Media and Brown Arts Institute Matthew Guterl, Departments of Africana Studies and American Studies Matthew Gutmann, Emeritus, Department of Anthropology Yannis Hamilakis, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World and Department of Classics Françoise Hamlin, Departments of Africana Studies and History Jae Han, Department of Religious Studies Susan Harvey, Department of Religious Studies Alla Hassan, Center for Language Studies Patrick Heller, Department of Sociology and Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Alani Hicks-Bartlett, Departments of Comparative Literature, French and Francophone Studies and Hispanic Studies Bonnie Honig, Departments of Modern Culture and Media and Political Science Evelyn Hu-DeHart, Departments of History and American Studies/Ethnic Studies Laird Hunt, Department of Literary Arts Jose Itzigsohn, Department of Sociology Nancy J. Jacobs, Department of History
Julia Jarcho, Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies Lynne Joyrich, Department of Modern Culture and Media Ieva Jusionyte, Department of Anthropology and Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Coppélia Kahn, Emerita, Department of English William Keach, Emeritus, Department of English Adrienne Keene, Department of American Studies Nancy Khalek, Departments of Religious Studies and History Michael D. Kennedy, Department of Sociology and Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Daniel Kim, Departments of English and American Studies Stephen Kinzer, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Brian Lander, Department of History and Institute at Brown for Environment and Society Robert Lee, Emeritus, Department of American Studies Shelley Lee, Department of American Studies Wendy Allison Lee, Pembroke Center and Gender and Sexuality Studies Program Jeremy Lehnen, Center for Language Studies and Portuguese and Brazilian Studies Leila Lehnen, Portuguese and Brazilian Studies Myles Lennon, Department of Anthropology and Institute at Brown for Environment and Society Ainsley LeSure, Departments of Africana Studies and Political Science Patsy Lewis, Department of Africana Studies Glenn C. Loury, Department of Economics, Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, Department of Music and Brown Arts Institute Catherine Lutz, Emerita, Department of Anthropology Brandon Marshall, Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health Felipe Martinez-Pinzon, Department of Hispanic Studies Kevin McLaughlin, Departments of English, Comparative Literature and German Studies, and John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study Brian Meeks, Department of Africana Studies Kristina Mendicino, Department of German Studies Kiri Miller, Department of American Studies Ourida Mostefai, Departments of Comparative Literature and French and Francophone Studies Elias Muhanna, Departments of Comparative Literature and History
Rebecca Nedostup, Departments of History and East Asian Studies Tara Nummedal, Departments of History and Italian Studies Mark Ocegueda, Department of History Mohamed Omer, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School Adi M. Ophir, Cogut Institute for the Humanities and Center for Middle East Studies Emily Owens, Department of History Esra Ozdemir, Center for Language Studies Robert Preucel, Department of Anthropology Jason Protass, Department of Religious Studies Michelle Quay, Center for Language Studies and Center for Middle East Studies Abrar Qureshi, Departments of Dermatology and Epidemiology, Warren Alpert Medical School and School of Public Health Momotazur Rahman, Department of Health Services Policy and Practice, School of Public Health Dixa Ramirez-D’Oleo, Department of English Stéphanie Ravillon, Department of French and Francophone Studies Thangam Ravindranathan, Department of French and Francophone Studies Sherief Reda, School of Engineering and Department of Computer Science Marc Redfield, Departments of Comparative Literature, English and German Studies Ravit Reichman, Department of English Gerhard Richter, Departments of Comparative Literature and German Studies Lukas Rieppel, Department of History and Science, Technology and Society Program Katie Rieser, Department of Education Massimo Riva, Department of Italian Studies Timmons Roberts, Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and Department of Sociology Gabriel Rocha, Departments of History and Portuguese and Brazilian Studies Seth Rockman, Department of History Daniel A. Rodríguez, Department of History Noliwe Rooks, Department of Africana Studies Ellen Rooney, Departments of English and Modern Culture and Media Tricia Rose, Department of Africana Studies, Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America Poulami Roychowdhury, Department of Sociology and Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Stephanie Savell, Watson Institute for Internation-
SEE FACULTY PAGE 11
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
FACULTY FROM PAGE 10 al and Public Affairs Janine Anderson Sawada, Departments of Religious Studies and East Asian Studies Rebecca Schneider, Department of Modern Culture and Media Nidia A. Schuhmacher, Department of Hispanic Studies Lewis Seifert, Department of French and Francophone Studies Robert Self, Department of History Roberto Serrano, Department of Economics Thomas Serre, Department of Cognitive Linguistics and Psychological Sciences Ahmed Shahab, Warren Alpert Medical School Matthew Shenoda, Department of Literary Arts and Brown Arts Institute
PAGE 11
Naoko Shibusawa, Departments of History and American Studies Elena Shih, Department of American Studies Eleni Sikelianos, Department of Literary Arts Prerna Singh, Department of Political Science and Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs Ada Smailbegović, Department of English Kerry Smith, Department of History Susan Smulyan, Department of American Studies Patricia Sobral, Department of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies Tracy Steffes, Departments of Education and History Michael Steinberg, Departments of History and Music Suzanne Stewart-Steinberg, Departments of Comparative Literature and Italian Studies
COMMENTARY
Kera Street, Department of Religious Studies Cole Swensen, Department of Literary Arts Peter Szendy, Cogut Institute for the Humanities and Department of Comparative Literature Nina Tannenwald, Department of Political Science Sarah Thomas, Department of Hispanic Studies Alison Tovar, Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, School of Public Health Daniel Vaca, Department of Religious Studies Peter van Dommelen, Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World and Department of Anthropology Rajiv Vohra, Department of Economics Lingzhen Wang, Department of East Asian Studies William Warren, Department of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences Elizabeth Weed, Pembroke Center for Teaching
and Research on Women Alexander Weheliye, Department of Modern Culture and Media Annie Wiart, Department of French and Francophone Studies Andre C. Willis, Department of Religious Studies David Wills, Department of French and Francophone Studies Patricia Ybarra, Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies Vazira Zamindar, Department of History Affiliations are stated for identification purposes only. An updated list of Brown Faculty signatories can be found in the link under the article published online.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald. com on Nov. 7, 2023.
An open letter from a collective of anti-occupation Jewish students “Solidarity is the political version of love.” - Jewish feminist activist Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz As of today, it has been a month since the Oct. 7 attacks that have dominated global political consciousness and discourse, not to mention our experiences as young Jewish people. Zionist institutions purport to be representative of all Jews, often using us as a rhetorical shield to support the unconscionable actions of the state of Israel. We feel a particular pain as Jews having to continuously justify our stance against genocide. We are here to make ourselves clear: We stand in solidarity with Brown Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Caucus in the pursuit of the liberation of Palestinian peoples. We know intimately that Jewish struggles are necessarily bound up in global struggles for freedom. We are a group of Jewish students who have coalesced around our shared vision of justice, anti-occupation, liberation and community. We ask you to listen to us now: 1. What do we mean when we say, “from the river to the sea”? “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” is not a call for the forced removal of Jews from Palestine or, as it is commonly misconstrued, a call to “throw Jews into the sea;” instead, it is a call for the end to the oppression of all Palestinians — in Gaza, the West Bank and within the Green Line. Liberating all of Palestine requires revolutionary change: not an eradication of Jews from the land, but a total dismantlement of the apartheid regime occupying it. The assumption that this phrase is inherently genocidal falsely conflates liberation with the annihilation of each citizen of the oppressive state and ignores its liberatory intent. Within this conflation, we hear a racist assumption that Palestinians are ruthless “animals” and an intentional obscuring of the violent intent of a neo-fascist government — a characterization shared even by writers in Israel’s newspaper of record. It is not only blatantly false but obscene to frame a call for liberation and justice as genocidal while Israel is carrying out genocide in Gaza funded by billions of American tax dollars. If calling for a future in which Palestinians can live in their homeland unshackled implies an existential threat to the Zionist ideology, it is that ideology that must be called into question — not the call for liberation. 2. Are we saying that antisemitism doesn’t exist? Of course not. Every single author of this piece has lost ancestors to state-sanctioned anti-Jewish violence. We have all grown up grappling with the intergenerational ripples of such atrocities. There is no question that antisemitism exists. But we do not accept a Jewish ethnostate as the solution to our struggle. By using the Shoah and our collective traumas to justify the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians, the Israeli military project insults the memory of our ancestors. We will not allow history to repeat itself; “never again” calls for the protection of everyone — Jews and non-Jews alike — from genocide.
If we cannot acknowledge and reject Israel’s indiscriminate killing of thousands and forced displacement of over 1.5 million Palestinians, then we have failed to learn from our history. We want to illustrate a distinction that many Zionists attempt to obfuscate: First, there is the spiritual entity of Israel — as Jacob’s alias, as the Jewish people, as a word that features in many of our prayers. Then, there is the state of Israel, which was founded in 1948. Even the nomenclature of the state of “Israel’’ serves to confuse political Zionism with Judaism and Jewishness. This conflation is dangerous and ignores a long and ongoing history of Jewish opposition to Zionist nation-state ideology. We hold our opposition to the state simultaneously with our connection to the amorphous spiritual entity. 3. Do we feel unsafe on campus in the midst of pro-Palestine activism? We do not feel threatened by pro-Palestine advocacy on College Hill. Rather, we are compelled to stand alongside Brown’s Students for Justice in Palestine and the Palestine Solidarity Caucus. Their objectives are clear: to demand a ceasefire, divestment and protections for students. Demanding that Brown advocates for a ceasefire does not endanger Jewish students. Nor does demanding divestment from weapons manufacturers such as Textron and Raytheon, or protections for Palestinian students and their allies. In fact, in our experience, Brown SJP and PSC are the groups most forthrightly advocating for the safety and protection of Jewish students, staff and faculty who vocally oppose the actions of the Israeli state. Our relative safety on this campus is what allows us to write this statement in alignment with Brown SJP and PSC while publicizing our names. And, if we were to feel a shift in that safety, we would find solace and support in (this) community and diaspora, not in any Zionist institution. 4. How do we respond to the ADL and Brandeis Center Letter to Presidents of Colleges and Universities? On Oct. 25, the Anti-Defamation League released a letter to hundreds of schools that makes the baseless and unsubstantiated claim that chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine may be “providing material support to Hamas.” As friends and members of Brown SJP, which operates autonomously from any national framework, we can confidently declare that the group does not provide support to Hamas. The ADL’s call for universities to “immediately investigate their campus SJP chapters” seeks to unjustly target, surveil and suppress Palestinian advocacy organizations for the sole crime of standing against Palestinian oppression. This ADL letter is one of many McCarthyite campaigns to silence pro-Palestine voices in the name of Jewish protection. Brandeis has since banned its chapter of SJP, revoking funding and permits for the group. We urge our institution and community to resist this narrative and invest our effort in protecting those most vulnerable on this campus: Palestinian students and their allies.
5. Do we condemn Hamas? When people ask us this question, we hear a variety of other questions implicit within it, including: “Do you recognize that Hamas’s attack on Oct. 7 was an act of horrific violence?” To that, we say, unequivocally, yes. “Do you see and feel the suffering that Israeli families must be feeling in the wake of that violence?” An unequivocal yes to this too. We suffer too; some of our families have been directly impacted. “Do you condemn the antisemitism expressly written into Hamas’s 1988 charter?” Yes. And we cannot disentangle this violence from the political context in which it arose: a decades-long history of state-sanctioned and expansionist violence. The atrocities following Oct. 7 are a continuation of 75 years of apartheid and occupation. Over the past month, the Israeli government has wrought comprehensive devastation on Palestinians across Gaza, shutting off electricity; rendering aid for hospitals and any line of communication with the outside world impossible; destroying homes, neighborhoods, whole family lines and refugee camps. And this is not just a response to the Hamas attacks, but an intentional escalation of the last 16 years in which Gaza has been an open-air prison and the Israeli state has abusively commanded the import, export and management of vital resources into and out of Gaza. Let us also remember: Hamas is not Gaza; Hamas is not Palestine. And Hamas’s violence cannot justify the genocide of the Palestinian people. Nothing can. 6. Are we mourning? We mourn for our Jewish and Israeli friends and family, and our Palestinian friends and community. We understand that, as our Jewish community mourns our lost loved ones, members of our Palestinian community have a right to focus on their suffering too. We stand strong in our belief that acknowledging the coexisting pain of multiple groups should never be taboo. Thus, we call on our Jewish communities to not only mourn for ourselves but to take action to protect the civilians of Gaza being bombed every day in their homes. Our mourning is endless and informs our calls to prevent further loss. Our mourning is our teacher — it tells us we are all connected as humans. The way we make sense of grief manifests in action as we heed the Jewish calls of “tikkun olam,” repairing our broken world, and “tzedek,” justice. We can never let our mourning allow us to stand by as Israel’s military dehumanizes Palestinians with language like “human animals” and kills over 10,000 Gazans since Oct. 7. We are mourning all lives lost while standing unequivocally for the rights and freedom of Palestinians. Both can be true.
7. Why do we stand with Brown SJP? We stand with Brown SJP because Brown SJP stands for liberation and life for all, which the Jewish tradition upholds. Alongside Brown SJP, we advocate for an immediate ceasefire, divestment and protection of students. We stand against our university’s complicity in the manufacturing and selling of weapons of war. Jewish and Israeli safety is not mutually exclusive with Palestinian liberation; in fact, they are inextricably intertwined. Both for the sake of our own and our families’ safeties and for the safety of our Palestinian cousins, we stand for both. We stand unambiguously for liberation. Conclusion We will not shy away from calling out injustice in the world; we will not let our Jewish identity be co-opted. Our Judaism compels us to oppose the Israeli state. Our Torah commands: “You shall not oppress a stranger, for you know the feelings of the stranger, having yourselves been strangers in the land of Egypt.” Exodus 23:9 And we must heed. Palestinians are our cousins, our peers at Brown, natives of the land, human beings whose lives matter. You shall not oppress a stranger. We write these words from the diaspora, and it is from here that we wish to better our world. As we grapple with millennia of Jewish struggle and survival, we will not abandon our Palestinian cousins and peers, or let them stand alone. This genocide cannot continue. Not in our names. With or without our names: Never. This op-ed was written and signed by the following students: Ingrid Ansel-Mullen ’24, Rafi Ash ’26, Maggie Bauer ’24, Samantha Bloom ’25, Noa Brown ’26, Maize Cline ’26, Lily Cork ’25, Julia Dubnoff ’27, Jesse Edelstein ’24, Ifadayo Engel-Halfkenny ’27, Ruth Engelman ’25, Aaron Epstein ’25, Zoe Federman ’23.5, Edie Fine ’25, Lily Gardner ’26, Eli Gordon ’25, Eli Grossman ’24, monique jonath ’24, Simone Klein ’25, Lucy Lebowitz ’24, Mica Maltzman ’25, Anila Marks ’26, Oscar McNally ’25, Callie Rabinovitz ’24, Maya Renaud-Levine ’26, Ariela Rosenzweig ’24, Hannah Saiger ’25, Joe Saperstein ’24, Lola Simon ’24, Karma Selsey ’24, Isaac Slevin ’25, Sam Stewart ’24, Emilia Peters ’24, Neshima Vitale-Penniman ’25, Yoni Weil ’24 and Tema Zeldes-Roth ’24.5 The group can be reached through jewsforceasefire@gmail.com. Please send responses to this opinion to letters@browndailyherald.com and other op-eds to opinions@browndailyherald. com.
This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 7, 2023.
PAGE 12
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
ARTS & CULTURE
CAMPUS EVENTS
Q&A: Writer Ross Gay talks joy, relationship with readers, writing process Gay, part of Nonfiction@ Brown speaker series, sat down with The Herald BY LILIANA GREYF SENIOR STAFF WRITER Ross Gay — a poet, essayist and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award who is known for his study of joy — read extracts from his books “Inciting Joy,” “Bringing the Shovel Down” and “Catalog of Unabashed Gratitudes” to Brown students Wednesday evening. The event was part of the Nonfiction@ Brown series hosted by the English department and organized by Michael Stewart MA’07, senior lecturer in English, and Elizabeth Rush, assistant professor of the practice of English. ” The same afternoon, Gay attended a class session of ENGL 1190X: “Nonfiction Now,” which is co-taught by Stewart and Rush. Earlier that afternoon, this reporter met up with Gay at a coffee shop. With a smile and sincere apology, Gay arrived ten minutes late, though he had given The Herald a heads up that this was quite typical — even though his watch runs five minutes fast, Gay still tends to be late to most places. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Herald: What is your relationship with lateness, slowness and inefficiency? How does that interact with experiences of joy? Ross Gay: There’s something important
LILIANA GREYF / HERALD
The event was organized by Michael Stewart MA’07, senior lecturer in English, and Elizabeth Rush, assistant professor of the practice of English. about planting a tree that you know won’t make fruit for like four years. … It’s a kind of patience. There is also something about — which is indicative about how I tend to be — how gardens tend to be distractingly beautiful. Very infrequently do I manage to walk out and do the thing I set out to do. It compels us towards a kind of digression. The digression — I don’t know how, I’ll write about this at some point — implies some kind of abundance of connection. When you digress, you’re like “Oh that! And that! And that! And that!” — and joy is ultimately also a question of connection. There it is. I’m curious about the capacity for collectivity within the literary sphere — particularly how you position the reader so closely to you. You address your reader as “friend.” How are you thinking about the relationship between your writing and your reader?
RG: To me, the more I get into this, the more I think of these books as the evidence — the temporary evidence, the ongoing evidence, the everchanging evidence — of a kind of gathering up of mysteries that I want to share with your mysteries. A gathering up of questions that I want to share with your questions. That’s the process, but also the ethics of it. The writing is not intended to impose, or displace, or occupy. It’s actually intended to join with whoever is kind enough to join with me. The last year I have been touring for these new books, I’ve realized that the book doesn’t get finished. The book becomes a thing that I go out and share, and then it becomes sort of unfamiliar to me. It keeps on unbecoming itself to something else. Do you have an imagined reader to whom you write? RG: Anyone who would join me. There
are people I know for sure I’m tuned to. Like I’m tuned to my brother, I realized. If I read in the presence of my brother, there are things he will respond to in ways that no one else on the planet will, just because we have this long, shared vocabulary of experiences. That’s why it’s so fun to read in front of him — because no one will laugh at something, and I think “Oh, I guess that’s not funny,” and then he’ll be there and he’ll lose it. And I’m like, “Oh, I’m writing to you, I guess.” There are other beloveds who I’m writing to. I’m writing often to the people whose works I love, which feels exciting and moving to say.
to know that conditions are bad, as opposed to using a word like lucky or fortunate, which actually points to action (against hierarchy), often to action of care. In the last five or seven years, I’ve watched in myself and in people I’m often around, which are academics, or people close to the academy, get into some of these ruts or theoretical bullshit zones that are actually distractions from labor and care. There is something really compelling about “the fight,” about “the war.” I’m always curious about whether we do better work when it’s not a fight or a war but rather the implementation of the (collective) dream.
How do you prepare to sit down and write?
Your writing is filled with luminous, delightful details. Do you collect those purposefully, or do they come to you as you work? How often are you surprised by what you’re writing about?
RG: I fetishize notebooks and pens. I sort of believe that they’re the things that are doing it. And I like that. My partner’s daughter was helping me clean up a space one time and she was like “What’s up with all these f*cking notebooks?” Solidarity is often a response to distance from otherness. Under such conditions, how can solidarity be organized around joy and hope, rather than war and destruction? What do you say to the questioning of joy amidst despair, the guilt that’s often attached to hopefulness? RG: I really wonder if that guilt is — I’m going to be deeply vague here — almost a neoliberal defense. Good people like to throw the word “privilege” around as a way of declaring that they know enough
RG: Always surprised. I never know what I’m going to write. I might know, “Oh, I’m going to write about yesterday!” But I never know what that means. That’s so exciting … I’m writing every day about this book tour. And I realized at some point as I was sitting down to write, I was thinking “Oh, I get to see what happened yesterday!” And I felt like I was going to go read an installment of this book that Ross Gay was writing. I felt like the first reader. It’s so pleasurable, you’re just sitting down to witness what’s going to come from you. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 1, 2023.
ALBUM REVIEW
Lamp eternalizes passing memories in new album ‘Dusk to Dawn’ Japanese indie band visualizes nostalgia with 20 new songs BY ISABEL HAHN SENIOR STAFF WRITER Japanese indie band Lamp released their 10th album, “Dusk to Dawn,” on Oct. 10, a long-awaited project for old and new fans. In the album, Lamp takes listeners on a nostalgic journey through the seasons, painting immersive, storybook-like scenes that transcend time and memory. Active for over two decades, Lamp has established itself within both Japanese and Western indie music spheres with an extensive discography. Trio Taiyo Someya, Yusuke Nagai and Kaori Sakakibara formed the band in their college years and released its debut album “Soyokaze Apartment Room 201” in 2003. Lamp incorporates elements of bossa nova, jazz and soul into their work, citing their love for music and media from the 1960s and 1970s as a starting point for the band. The result is a unique and soothing sound that takes on a new form with each project — from the summer-soaked reflections of their album “For Lovers” in 2004 to the warm yearning of “Yume” in 2014. For better or for worse, “Dusk to Dawn” stands out from Lamp’s past albums, both in its sheer length and the variety of atmospheres it evokes.
Perhaps due to the maturity they’ve gained while growing and making music together over the years, Lamp is particularly ambitious in “Dusk to Dawn,” compiling an impressive tracklist of 20 songs — making it their heftiest album yet. As the title of the album suggests, “Dusk to Dawn” uses its long runtime to visualize the passage of time, paying homage to the little memories that one can’t help but hold onto in a changing world. Sakakibara softly greets listeners in the first song “Dusk,” a short and slow-paced number that gently sets the scene for the album. Rather than a more energetic introduction, Lamp chooses to begin their album by lulling listeners into a peaceful state, opening the doors to a hazy dimension that only materializes once the sun has gone down. Following soon after is “The Last Dance,” which is driven by a creative harmony of different instruments — a Lamp trademark. This time, Nagai joins Sakakibara for a sweet duet, and the two sing over a backdrop of hopeful horns and synth. The song surprisingly amps up after the second chorus, ending in a crescendo which makes for a seamless transition into the next song, “As Time Goes By.” The first half of the album maintains a fairly pleasant and solid pace, where Lamp seems mainly focused on taking listeners on a walk through interconnected scenes of everyday nostalgia. Despite the warmth of these opening songs, however, a subtle sense of mel-
ancholy seems to permeate them, amplified by the whispery softness that Sakakibara and Nagai’s vocals often embrace. “Misty Town” immerses listeners within a dreamy fog of harp chords and pitter-pattering keys, making you wander through a rainy town that feels both comforting and forlorn. “Late Night Train” winds the album down even further, taking on the languidity of a sleepy train ride home after a long day. Lamp makes sure to break away from such mellowness every once in a while with sunnier, upbeat tracks like “August Calendar” and “Weekend.” Mixing different emotions together throughout its songs, “Dusk to Dawn” achieves a sweet balance of highs and lows in energy. It is in the middle chunk of “Dusk to Dawn” that Lamp’s choice to compile a large catalog of songs feels a bit taxing. Though each track contributes to the album’s overarching relaxing soundscape, it is admittedly difficult to distinguish them individually. “Dusk to Dawn” falls victim to its songs blending together a bit too well, and as a result, many of Lamp’s notable musical choices are lost as the album continues its course. These middle tracks are not subpar by any means — and may have thrived in a shorter collection — but they are unfortunately easy to overlook when surrounded by several other songs that are sonically similar. This is not to say that there is a complete lack of special moments in the
ANGELA XU / HERALD
latter half of the album. The beginning of “Bedroom Afternoon” is a nice surprise, reminiscent of the guitar picking in one of Lamp’s most beloved songs, “Yume Utsutsu,” from their 2008 album “Lamp Genso.” “A Winter’s Day” is a hidden gem of the album, immediately transporting listeners to a quiet and lonely December afternoon with just the opening notes. The album ends with “Dawn,” a serene send-off by Lamp and possibly the most bittersweet track of them all. With only two lines of lyrics, the song allows listeners to fly through a musical backdrop that reflects on all that has transpired. The day is over, Lamp seems
to wistfully tell their listeners. Or maybe it is only just beginning. “Dusk to Dawn” is certainly far from being a disappointment. When a band has a sound as sweet and self-grounded as Lamp’s, any new project of theirs likely won’t be anything less than solid. Although “Dusk to Dawn” seems to lack the same alluring magic that Lamp’s past albums have, there is no denying its charm and ability to showcase all that the group has learned and experimented with over the years. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 2, 2023.
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
PAGE 13
ARTS & CULTURE
PROVIDENCE
Community members celebrate five-year anniversary of ‘Still Here’ mural Mural aims to serve as contemporary representation of local Indigenous community BY REBECCA WENG CONTRIBUTING WRITER On Friday, the Rhode Island School of Design hosted a celebration of the five-year anniversary of the mural “Still Here” in downtown Providence. The mural depicts Lynsea Montanari, a Narragansett woman and representative from the Tomaquag Indigenous Museum, holding a picture of Princess Red Wing, a “Narragansett/ Pokanoket-Wampanoag elder, historian, folklorist and curator,” according to the event’s press release. Held in the RISD auditorium, the event featured Gaia, the mural’s artist, Montanari and Lorén M. Spears, representatives from the Tomaquag Indigenous Museum, and Nick Platzer, senior mural program manager at The Avenue Concept. Montanari opened the event with a land acknowledgment and preliminary remarks about the artwork “As a Narragansett myself, I always find it interesting this idea of land acknowledgment … when all of the United States was Indigenous land,” she said. “Often in these moments, we are asked to acknowledge a specific and small location.” Montanari explained that she feels that this land is sacred, but that people still take it for granted. “Providence so often walks over us and around us but rarely acknowledges that we exist,” she said. “Most importantly, know that we’re
COURTESY OF THE AVENUE CONCEPT
Moving forward, Lynsea Montanari, the subject of the mural, hopes to “preserve the mural for as long as possible” to show that “as everyone is changing, (Indigenous people) are still remaining in this space.” still here,” she added, echoing the theme of the mural. The project came about when TAC, an organization that works to support the creation and installation of public art, reached out to Gaia in 2018 to commission an 80-foot-tall wall in downtown Providence. After hitting a block when devising ideas for the mural, Gaia refocused his attention on the concept of erasure, suggesting to TAC that they “collaborate with the local Indigenous people.” The day before the scheduled date for the mural’s painting, Gaia called Spears to ask if the Tomaquag Museum wanted to collaborate on the project. “We thought he was crazy,” Spears
said. “But after a genuine conversation over what the purpose of this mural was, we agreed” to participate. When Montanari got the call informing her that she had been chosen as a potential candidate for the mural’s subject and learned of Gaia’s intentions, Montanari said she consented under one condition: She did not want to wear Indigenous regalia in the photoshoot for the mural. “Most of the time we don’t wear that,” Montanari explained. “And if we do, what people are going to see is Indigenous people from the past.” Montanari said she still strived to be representative of her community by wearing a floral skirt with Narragansett
art patterns and a pair of native beaded earrings. Spears, who was initially apprehensive about having Gaia “represent Indigenous culture,” also talked about the collaborative process of representing the Indigenous community. By depicting “a millennial holding a picture of (Princess Red Wing, who was) born in 1896,” Spears wanted the mural to be a modern and genuine representation of the Indigenous community. The mural depicts “flora and fauna, sunflower, strawberries and cattails, (which) are all important to our community,” she added. Despite the short turnaround between deciding to collaborate with Gaia and the actual painting of the mural, Montanari
said the collaboration felt “like magic.” Koji Hellman, a first-year student at RISD, came to the panel because “Still Here” was the first art piece shown in her art history lecture. “When I first visited Providence and RISD two years ago, I was taking in the mural’s beauty but not appreciating the details like the meaning of the earrings,” Hellman said. “This panel helped me understand how (the artist) did not fall into the stereotype of representation.” Professor of Anthropology Patricia Rubertone used “Still Here” as the cover of her book, “Native Providence: Memory, Community and Survivance in the Northeast.” Rubertone said she was “struck by how quickly this mural came together and how different stakeholders work together.” According to Platzer, the initial intent of “Still Here” was to depict “what Lynsea represents: a young, successful Indigenous individual who holds on to her past but is still here,” adding that viewers often want to focus specifically on Montanari as the subject of the mural. Montanari echoed Platzer’s sentiment in the panel. “This mural is visibility for my people,” she said. “It helped people see Indigenous people in this community and others see Indigenous people in their community.” Moving forward, Montanari hopes to “preserve the mural for as long as possible” to show that “as everyone is changing, (Indigenous people) are still remaining in this space.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 5, 2023.
CAMPUS EVENTS
Documentarian Frederick Wiseman speaks at Watson Institute event Students, faculty gather to discuss documentarian’s recent work, prolific career NED KENNEDY SENIOR STAFF WRITER Renowned filmmaker and documentarian Frederick Wiseman visited campus for a discussion of his recent film, “City Hall,” on Friday. Sponsored by the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs’ “John F. Kennedy Jr. Initiative for Documentary Film and Social Progress,” the discussion explored Wiseman’s prolific career and was moderated by fellow documentarian Lizzie Gottlieb. “City Hall,” released in October 2020, is a four-and-a-half-hour documentary that explores Boston’s local government from fall 2018 to winter 2019. Through its long runtime, the work examines the minutia of city governance. From a focus on small community gatherings to important logistical meetings, the documentary examines both hardships and successes experienced by the city in realms including but not limited to housing, racial justice and climate change action. Exploring themes common to Wiseman’s work, the project yields insight into yet another significant American institution. Wiseman has steadily emerged as one of the leading contemporary documentarians, partly as a result of his work’s sustained commitment to understanding myriad American institutions. “I have a knack of picking places that are open 24 hours a day as subjects,” Wiseman said in
KAIOLENA TACAZON/ HERALD
Friday’s conversation was part of the “John F. Kennedy Jr. Initiative for Documentary Film and Social Progress,” which seeks to engage the Brown community in discussions about film, politics and policy. an interview with The Herald. “Filming is a pretty much always the same across proj- law and medicine, and I took the students sport, and you have to be in decent shape ects ... You take the risk of shooting a lot of to various trials, parole board hearings, to run around.” film, and hope you find enough sequences regular prisons and mental hospitals,” Wiseman’s motivation for creating from which you can edit a movie,” Wise- Wiseman said. “City Hall” was “to make as good a movie man reflected. This role led Wiseman to documentary as I could make, based upon the experiBeing a part of the action is crucial filmmaking, an outlet through which he ences I had in Boston for twelve weeks.” to Wiseman’s craft: “You have to be pre- could immerse himself in different comOver those twelve weeks, Wiseman accu- pared to shoot whatever is going on that munities, ultimately being able to create mulated over 100 hours of footage. you think might be of some interest to works that question what it means to be Wiseman takes time to rewatch each you, at all times of the day and night,” American. sequence he has filmed for a project. “In the director said. Lizzie Gottlieb, a faculty member at order to find a dramatic structure, I have A dedication to observation — or a the New York Film Academy, had the role to try and think through the material,” fascination with reality — has proven a of moderating Friday’s discussion with Wiseman said. “I have to think that I un- trademark of Wiseman’s work through Wiseman. Gottlieb, who has achieved derstand what’s going on in a sequence the years. critical acclaim following the release of — unless I think that I understand what’s “The first movie I made was in 1966, her 2022 film “Turn Every Page,” teachgoing on, I can’t decide whether or not I it was ‘Titicut Follies.’ I had the idea for es Wiseman’s documentaries in her own want it.” that film because before I started to make filmmaking courses. “The actual experience of filming is movies, I taught law. I taught a course on “I always teach Wiseman’s film ‘Wel-
fare,’” Gottlieb said. “When my students are learning the film, they are terrified because that weekend they have to go out and shoot a film themselves. They’re watching ‘Welfare’ to learn from it, and to be inspired in terms of how to do it.” “You watch films more accurately and more alertly if you are trying to figure out how they are made,” Gottlieb added. Wiseman was brought to campus by the Watson Institute’s John F. Kennedy Jr. Initiative for Documentary Film and Social Progress, which was started in 2020 as a means of engaging the Brown community in discussions of film as they relate to the study of politics and public policy. The initiative aims “to encourage students to express themselves in their search for an understanding of big societal challenges and to help students to become better and more critical consumers of documentary film,” said Edward Steinfeld, director of the Watson Institute and professor of political science. “We’ve been wanting to bring Frederick Wiseman in for years, actually,” Steinfeld said. “We did an event with Frederick online (during the COVID-19 pandemic), but we were so happy to be able to bring him to campus for this in-person gathering.” “There were so many people in the room,” Wiseman said. “And that underscores how meaningful it is to be able to interact face-to-face through these discussions.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 5, 2023.
PAGE 14
SCIENCE & RESEARCH
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
ACADEMICS
U. prof proves 50-year-old Möbius Strip conjecture in preprint paper Professor Richard Schwartz proves shortest length needed to make Möbius strip BY RYAN DOHERTY SENIOR STAFF WRITER On Aug. 24, Richard Schwartz, professor of mathematics, published a preprint paper to arXiv.org that proved a conjecture that has stumped mathematicians for nearly 50 years: What is the shortest strip of paper needed to create a Möbius strip? This question was first answered in 1977, when a paper concluded that the Möbius strip must have an aspect ratio of one to the square root of 3, which is roughly 1.73. This means that if a piece of paper is one inch wide, the length must be greater than 1.73 inches in order to form a Möbius strip. This is commonly known as the Halpern-Weaver conjecture, which remained unproven — until Schwartz. Möbius strips have captured the interest of mathematicians and the public alike due to their special geometric properties — they only have a single side. They were first discovered in 1858 by August Ferdinand Möbius and Johann Benedict Listing. Making a Möbius strip at home is relatively easy: take a strip of paper, twist it once and tape its ends together. “They’re extremely simple and
KAIOLENA TACAZON / HERALD
Möbius strips have captured the interest of mathematicians and the public alike due to their special geometric properties — these objects only have a single side. accessible objects, which is not always the case with math research,” Schwartz said. “It’s the kind of thing that you could explain … to an eightyear-old.” Kyne Santos, a drag queen who has amassed 1.5 million TikTok followers for posting educational math content, is no stranger to Möbius strips. In July 2021, she posted a video to the platform that has since received more than 14 million views, explaining the properties of Möbius strips. “When you flip that paper around and create (a Möbius strip), you stumble upon this mathematical object that is — on one hand — really simple at first glance but actually a lot more interesting than meets the eye,”
Santos said in an interview with The Herald. Two types of Möbius strips dominate mathematicians’ interest: immersed and embedded. “Embedded are the kind you can actually make,” Schwartz said. Immersed, on the other hand, can intersect with itself, requiring different lengths to form a Möbius strip. “If you have to walk to your bathroom and you’re allowed to go through the walls, you don’t have to take as many turns probably — you can probably just go straight there,” he said. “So, the embedded ones have to be longer in order to make them because it has to get out of its own way.”
Schwartz was first introduced to the problem by a friend and colleague who had written an article on the topic. At the same time, he was thinking about another problem called the Square Peg conjecture, which gave him insight into how to solve the Halpern-Weaver conjecture. Specifically, Schwartz applied his knowledge of T patterns — which he described as a “special arrangement of four points on a loop.” On Möbius strips, the T patterns are a “special arrangement of two line segments,” a property which eventually helped Schwartz to solve the proof. The road to the solution did not come without bumps, however. In 2021, when Schwartz first attempted the problem, a mistake in his proof resulted in a parallelogram instead of a trapezoid. “It was just some stupid error (that) got baked into my brain, and I never checked it until three years later,” he recalled. When Schwartz realized his mistake, he issued a correction to the journal on his 2021 paper with new calculations in line with his realization. “I did it out, and it just solved the whole conjecture,” Schwartz said. “Then I realized — now it’s a different ballgame.” He spent multiple days writing a new paper, which has since been uploaded to the open-access site
arXiv.org and sent to a journal for potential publication. Publication and peer review is a lengthy process, but Schwartz is optimistic about the paper’s future, highlighting that his solution is relatively short — only 13 pages without references — and proves an old conjecture. Jeffrey Hoffstein, professor of mathematics and department chair, highlighted the uniqueness of the Halpern-Weaver conjecture and the rarity of a proof like Schwartz’s. “It is very unusual to have a math problem that is so easy to state, and so hard to prove,” he wrote in an email to The Herald. “In fact, most problems that fit that description are either incredibly hard to prove (like Fermat’s Last Theorem, which remained unsolved for hundreds of years), or have never been proved, like Goldbach’s conjecture.” Santos hopes that the proof — which she uploaded two TikTok videos about — helps underscore the creativity associated with math that often goes unnoticed. “People have a misconception about math that it’s all about getting the right answer,” she said. “When you’re an actual mathematician, there’s no right or wrong way to go about it — it’s a matter of problem-solving.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 5, 2023.
RESEARCH
University’s MRI Research Facility sparks magnetic innovation Faculty, students reflect on research at Carney Institute’s MRI Research Facility BY JAANU RAMESH CONTRIBUTING WRTER Since the University’s MRI Research Facility opened for operations in early 2007 as part of the Sidney Frank Hall for Life Sciences, it has been a crucial resource for Brown researchers. Magnetic Resonance Imaging has been a powerful and popular scanning technology critical to medical and research settings since its invention in the 1970s. Using magnets and radio waves, the tube-shaped MRI scanner can produce clear images showing organs, muscles or even blood vessels. MRI scanners are expensive but very capable tools. Scanners themselves cost around $1 million per Tesla of force — the MRF machine has three Teslas. The MRI room is also magnetically shielded, preventing the scanner’s magnetic field from extending beyond the facility and, Worden added, potentially wiping passersby’s credit cards. According to MRF Associate Director of Research Michael Worden, about 50 investigators from fields including neuroscience, engineering, chemistry and medicine are using the MRF. Most researchers work through Brown and Brown-affiliated Lifespan hospitals, but others come from other institutions like the University of Rhode Island, Worden wrote. Theresa Desrochers, assistant professor of brain science and psychiatry
and human behavior, studies cognitive and behavioral sequences in humans and animals. MRI is useful because it can help identify which parts of the brain are used and how those parts are engaged, Desrochers wrote in an email to The Herald. “These kinds of sequences are like making breakfast or a cup of coffee,” she wrote. “You have to keep track of a series of steps and do them in a particular order. We are interested in how the brain does this tracking.” Functional MRI, which can record activity over time in different parts of the brain, is particularly useful in Desrochers’s research because it can use similar techniques on both humans and animals. For Samantha Buyungo ’24, an undergraduate research assistant in the Desrochers Lab, her first experience with MRI wasn’t in a research setting but a medical one after a knee injury between eighth and ninth grade. “After getting an MRI, years later, to be working with the MRI (studying) sequential processing is interesting,” Buyungo said. For her undergraduate thesis, Buyungo is comparing individuals with and without OCD in sequential processing tasks. Buyongo said that in her present research, she aims to use MRI to more clearly visualize what is happening inside the brain — and hopes to continue doing so in the future. Buyungo said MRI can show that mental health — along with mental illness — is a “concrete thing,” even if it isn’t immediately visible like physical health
indicators. “No matter how difficult my research gets, that’s something that I always like to come back to,” she said. “These are things that matter and can help you better understand someone else.” Haley Keglovits GS, a PhD candidate, is studying how humans carry out executive functions in the brain in the lab of Professor of Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences David Badre, who also chairs the department. Executive functions are higher-level cognitive skills that allow individuals “to be flexible and not perform the same behaviors in response to a specific environmental cue,” Keglovits wrote in an email to The Herald. “For example, you might pick up your phone if you hear it beep when you are sitting at home, but not when you are driving.” Keglovits’s study also employs functional MRI: Participants perform tasks related to executive brain functioning, and her team analyzes their patterns of brain activity and how the patterns change when participants encounter different objectives. Scan results are “very different from what you might see on TV, where characters have (colored) dots popping up on their brain pic-
tures in real-time,” Keglovits wrote. Instead, data processing is required before the researchers gather insights from a scan. MRI research can create challenges, Keglovits and Desrochers wrote. For example, people must remain still in the scanner to prevent a blurry image — but keeping them comfortable might mean putting them to sleep, Keglovits added. “If we make people too comfy and have them lay down in a dark room with pillows and a blanket, they can fall asleep while trying to do a task,” she wrote. The backbone of the MRF’s research is a closely integrated
team allowing researchers to turn MRI imaging into “robust and interpretable results,” Worden said. The MRF also relies on collaborations, extensive and rigorous safety protocols and the support of the Carney Institute for Brain Science, Worden said. “The human brain is the most complicated thing in the known universe,” Worden said. “Understanding how the brain works, how cognition, behavior, disorders are related — these are incredibly important scientific endeavors.” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 6, 2023.
KATHARINE KNOWLES / HERALD
THE BROWN DAILY HERALD
ACADEMICS & ADVISING
PAGE 15
UNIVERSITY NEWS
CS department introduces revised concentration requirements Department announces new intermediate-level courses, removes pathways BY ANISHA KUMAR SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Department of Computer Science announced revised concentration requirements to students within the department at a meeting Oct. 23. The new requirements, which are not yet finalized, strive to better prepare students for 1000-level courses. Currently enrolled students planning to concentrate in CS can choose to either continue following the existing requirements or switch to the new ones. Going forward, students will be required to take a course in math concepts for CS, three intermediate courses in algorithms and theory, systems and artificial intelligence/machine learning, according to a summary of the proposal sent to CS students. “As our population has gotten more heterogeneous in their background and
interests, some of the pacing in the early courses was going too fast,” Professor of Computer Science (Research)
become a requirement for Bachelor of Arts students as well. “We are still in discussion with the college about this,”
But because the concentration lacks explicit intermediate course requirements, Fisler said professors who teach
Klein, will be offered this spring. In developing the new requirements, the department’s faculty looked to pro-
Kathi Fisler said. “Many students were getting to the 1000-level classes not having sufficient command over material that everybody hoped they would learn earlier.” The department is also looking to revise the requirement of pathways and capstone courses for both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science students, Fisler said. According to the CS department’s website, pathways are groupings of “core courses, graduated courses, related courses and intermediate courses” based on topic areas. Currently, AB students must complete one pathway while ScB candidates must complete two. Under the new requirements, pathways would no longer be mandatory for concentrators. In a Sunday email sent to the CS undergraduate listserv, the department announced that capstones for Bachelor of Science students “are almost certainly going to remain” and may
the department wrote in its proposal summary. According to Fisler, the overhaul was motivated by a department-wide reevaluation last year. The new requirements are intended to address the “enrollment explosion” that has taken place in CS in the last decade, she said. Under the current model, first-semester CS students have the option to take introductory classes that teach computing foundations and common paradigms in computer science, according to the department’s website. All introductory classes but CSCI0190: “Accelerated Introduction to Computer Science” must be followed by CSCI0200: “Program Design with Data Structures and Algorithms.” Beyond CSCI0200 or CSCI0190 and the 1000-level courses, students can take a number of intermediate, “sophomore-level” courses to fulfill pathway requirements and prerequisites for 1000-level courses, Fisler said.
1000-level courses often noted that their students had varying levels of experience. This made it difficult to structure a curriculum without repeating material some students may have already been exposed to. Professors often look to CSCI0200 as the content baseline between students, she added. “We realized the current 1000-level requirements were probably causing more headaches than they were worth,” Fisler said. “At the sophomore level, we thought there was a little more that everybody should see before they got into the 1000s.” The four proposed intermediate requirements, each of which can be fulfilled through existing courses until new single courses are in place, will hopefully remedy this, Fisler explained. The department has also introduced a new course in algorithms and theory. CSCI 0500: “Data Structures, Algorithms, and Intractability: An Introduction,” taught by Professor of Computer Science Philip
grams at 12 peer institutions, including Harvey Mudd College, Stanford University and the University of California at San Diego, Fisler said. Though none of these universities have a requirement in artificial intelligence and machine learning, Fisler added that the University’s CS department decided that it was a vital field that students should be exposed to. “One of the department’s curriculum-wide learning goals for students is in socially responsible computing,” Assistant Professor of Computer Science James Tompkin wrote. Scan the QR code to read more:
FACULTY & HIGHER EDUCATION
Paxson declines to comment on calls for Israel-Hamas ceasefire Faculty call for ceasefire, increased support for proPalestine scholarship in letter
A group of over 160 faculty members recently sent a letter to President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 urging the University’s administration to call for a ceasefire in the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The letter also called for the University to “affirm and advocate for the protection and ability” of community members to advocate for Palestinians through scholarship and activism. Though she did not explicitly acknowledge the letter, Paxson responded to some of its demands at Tuesday’s faculty meeting. Paxson said she had “been asked to make public statements to urge lawmakers to support a ceasefire, and to publicly decry censorship and intimidation of those who support Palestinian human rights on campuses elsewhere in the country.” “I have to respectfully decline making public statements on these issues,” Paxson said. Paxson also affirmed that “members of the Brown community who support Palestinian human rights through speech or scholarship will not be intimidated, censored or punished.” “I wholeheartedly agree that there should be no ‘Palestinian exception’ to freedom of expression, and, in fact, I will go further: There are no exceptions
“A university is not a single person, but a community of people who hold diverse views,” she said. “My responsibility, as president, is not to place a stamp of approval on the views of a subset of the community, even if that subset is large.” Last spring, Paxson spoke about the importance of freedom of expression on college campuses during the Hillel International Israel Summit East 2023. At the time, members of Brown Students for Justice in Palestine and J Street U Brown urged Paxson to condemn annexation and violence against Palestinians, The Herald previously reported. At Tuesday’s faculty meeting, Paxson reiterated her belief that her role is not to take positions, but rather to facilitate open discussion. “My responsibility is to ensure that individual members of the community are free to voice their views, including using their voices to urge lawmakers or other universities to take specific actions or, more generally, express their beliefs on matters of conscience,” she said. Tuesday marks one month since Hamas’s attacks on several cities across southern and central Israel, which killed over 1,400 people. In the month since, Israel’s retaliation has targeted the Gaza Strip through airstrikes, blockades and a ground invasion, which has killed over 10,000 Palestinians in Gaza, the Associated Press reported. The United Nations has described the resulting humanitarian crisis as “unprecedented,” while UN experts have said they “remain convinced that the Palestinian people are
as did Talk for Tomorrow, a coalition which emerged in mid-October. During an Oct. 25 walkout, around 500 students circled University Hall to demand that the University “end its complicity in the genocide in Gaza,” The Herald previously reported. Paxson identified four key priorities as the Brown community grapples with the ongoing conflict: promoting safety, providing support services, rejecting harassment and discrimination and supporting freedom of expression. Paxson noted that violence and threats have increased on college campuses nationally. On Oct. 29, a Cornell student, who has since been charged, anonymously posted threats targeting Jewish students and the Center for Jewish Living. At the University of Pennsylvania, students and faculty received threats after speaking at a pro-Palestine rally, the Daily Pennsylvanian reported. “We are taking extensive steps to protect our campus, consulting regularly with local, state and federal law enforcement,” Paxson said at Tuesday’s meeting. “We pledge to do all we can to support members of our community who experience threats to their safety.” Paxson also referred to prior communication from University officials, including resources shared by Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes in an Oct. 10 email to the Brown community. “Since Oct. 7, Brown has seen a small but concerning uptick in troubling reports of antisemitic and anti-Muslim (and) Arab incidents that involve other members of the Brown
to Brown’s clearly articulated policy on academic freedom and freedom of expression for views on any issue,” she said. Paxson noted that although she releases public comments related to policy issues in higher education, she cannot comment on a ceasefire “precisely because of Brown’s commitment to academic freedom.”
at grave risk of genocide,” according to a Nov. 2 press release. Paxson’s response follows several campus demonstrations and gatherings about the ongoing violence, including a vigil coordinated by BrownRISD Hillel and the Rohr Chabad House to mourn Israelis who perished in the Oct. 7 attack or were taken hostage by Hamas. Brown SJP also held a vigil,
community or, in some cases, actors external to Brown,” Paxson said. “Although we have not received many reports, even one is too many,” Paxson continued. “A pernicious effect of harassment is that even a few instances sow fear and distrust, which we cannot allow to take root at Brown.” Paxson affirmed the University’s commitment to freedom of expres-
BY RYAN DOHERTY SENIOR STAFF WRITER
sion, echoing Provost Francis Doyle’s Nov. 3 email to the Brown community on frequently asked questions about protest and freedom of expression policies. The University’s statement on academic freedom, which was created in 1966, affirms freedom of religion, association, assembly, political activity and petition. “Faculty and recognized student groups have the right to invite speakers of their choice to campus,” Paxson said at the meeting. “There are guardrails on time, place and manner that ensure that protests don’t infringe on the academic freedom of others or interfere with the normal functions of the University, including teaching and research.” “Of course, speech that crosses the line into harassment based on religion, nationality, race, ethnicity or other characteristics is unacceptable,” she added. Faculty members expressed concerns with Paxson’s statement and her refusal to comment on a ceasefire during the discussion period of the faculty meeting. Director of the Center for Middle East Studies and Professor of International Studies, Anthropology and Middle East Studies Nadje Al-Ali said she heard from many colleagues at a recent conference that “the atmosphere on their campuses is worse than after 9/11.” Al-Ali, who signed the letter, said that calling for a ceasefire is “a moral standard at this point.” She also mentioned that she is particularly worried about the potential “doxxing” of students, which has occurred at Harvard and New York University following pro-Palestine statements released after the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. “I have been very willing to take public stances on policy issues (or) proposed legislation that has a direct impact on universities,” Paxson said. “I have yet to see specific actions that restrict academic freedom on univer-
sities — that would be something that if we got to that point, I would think very hard about whether to address it.” Other faculty members, including Professor of Palestinian Studies Beshara Doumani, urged individuals not to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism. Doumani was also a signatory of the letter. Paxson responded that the University remains “committed to freedom of expression, so critique of policy of any country in the world is fair — that’s fine — as long as we don’t do things that cross into harassment and discrimination.” “I get the impression that students don’t know that it’s okay to talk about these (issues) in an open way,” Associate Professor of History and Religious Studies Nancy Khalek, another signatory, said at the meeting. “It would be really great to be able to use our resources as a university to think about various events that we could do to educate our students about this” while being “more detailed and specific about what academic freedom means,” she added. Paxson said she hopes that students talk to each other about the ongoing conflict and related issues. “I actually don’t think students learn from reading statements from their university presidents,” she said. “I think they learn from discussion.” “What I’ve heard from students is not so much that they’re afraid of the University squelching their speech, but they’re afraid of each other,” she said. “Some of the discussions in dorm rooms and outside of the classroom between students have been very, very harsh and hard.” The discussion concluded with a question by Paxson: “You can control what happens in the four walls of your classroom, (but) how do we navigate and help our students in these other spaces?” This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 7, 2023.
PAGE 16
UNIVERSITY NEWS
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2023
STUDENT LIFE
A step inside the LGBTQ Center’s queer, gender-affirming closet Closet includes general, gender-affirming sections, staff hope to extend offerings BY MIKAYLA KENNEDY SENIOR STAFF WRITER The Stonewall House’s queer closet is not your typical closet: “When you open the door, there’s a whole community waiting to celebrate you and your beauty,” said Diana-Abasi Archibong ’26. The closet is “a free resource where students can try on and take clothes that reaffirm their gender expression and sense of self,” wrote Lainey Bechta ’25, the LGBTQ Center’s closet coordinator, in an email to The Herald. The space consists of a room with two large closets divided into a “general side” and “gender-affirming supply side,” Bechta wrote. The general side is “open to all, any time the center is open,” while the gender-affirming side — which has “TransTape, binders for sizing, makeup and sewing machines” — is open during Bechta’s office hours: Mondays and Tuesdays from 5 -7 p.m., Thursdays from 3 -5 p.m. or by appointment. “The closet isn’t organized by the assigned gender from their original store but rather how the item functions,” Bechta explained. “Clothes match the gender of the person who wears them.” Students who have used the closet emphasized its empowering nature and
JULIE WANG / HERALD
highlighted the opportunities for exploration that it provided. A student from the class of 2026 who wished to remain anonymous for privacy reasons spoke to the ways the closet has surprised them, sharing that they have “been trying on stuff that I probably wouldn’t have tried on otherwise that I ended up really liking.” “Having that smaller, private setting helped me to find stuff that I really liked and was really comfortable with,” the student told The Herald. Bechta explained that “the closet started as an industrial clothing rack on wheels, back when we were still just two rooms in Faunce.” They added that “the community closet is the spiritual successor of the industrial rack.” Not intended for any one specific
purpose or group, Archibong stressed the closet’s applications for equity on campus.
tising the closet’s resources around campus. “She was the one who brought me
binders.” Bechta wrote that the closet has a “pretty good selection” of clothes of all
“Let’s say that you have a Zoom call or an interview and you don’t have any business clothes. … As opposed to either having to go thrifting and go through a limited amount of sizing options and maybe a little bit of stigma … you can come to the space at Stonewall and take a suit and have a garment that fits you and suits you and makes you feel beautiful and also capable and is good quality,” she said. Archibong added that “in an institution like this, where there is such a great wealth gap, it’s so deeply and sincerely helpful to have this as a resource available for students.” Archibong first visited the closet after Bechta told her about a dress they thought would go well with her skin tone. Archibong said she “tried on this beautiful mauve corset little mini dress” and when she “walked out the door and everyone’s like ‘you look so good!’ and it was just nice to be appreciated.” “Being Black is something that leaves you overlooked … no one knows how to do your hair, no one knows how to do your makeup and no one knows how to dress your body type,” Archibong said. “To have someone who was looking out for me without having to be asked was very sweet.” Other students similarly praised Bechta for their support of students. The anonymous student shared that Bechta has been very active in adver-
to actually look through it and try stuff on,” according to the student. The student added that Bechta has helped them “find some sort of a style” and aided them in “trying to figure out what I’m looking for.” Emma Blankstein ’26 shared that her experience with the closet has mostly consisted of Bechta “just finding pieces and being like, ‘this would look really good on you.’” Bechta also wrote that the closet has plans for continued expansion. This expansion includes diversifying the binder brands, adding “bras for sizing” and adding compression tops — which she shared “can be worn for over eight hours and while sleeping and exercising, but don’t flatten as much as traditional
sizes. They emphasized the importance of making the closet size inclusive and noted that they were working on “getting more sizing available.” She added that the LGBTQ center has a “modest budget” for stocking the closets, as well as funding from an Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity grant. They also encouraged students to donate clothing to the closet, noting that the closet accepts “clothing, shoes and accessory donations, as well as new makeup” and was looking for larger-sized clothing, as well as formal wear and jackets. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 8, 2023.
JULIE WANG / HERALD
ON-CAMPUS ACTIVISM
Sunrise Brown hosts student climate activists for weekend conference Climate College Gathering features panels on environmental justice, organizing BY ASHLEY CAI & JENNIFER SHIM SENIOR STAFF WRITERS Last weekend, more than 160 students from more than 40 universities across the United States and Canada convened on College Hill for the inaugural College Climate Gathering hosted by Sunrise Brown. From Nov. 3 - 5, participants attended workshops and panels centered around campus climate organizing and environmental justice, with the goal of bringing “a greater sense of community and purpose to the college climate movement,” according to Sunrise Brown’s website. Sunrise Brown members first conceived of the idea nearly a year ago, according to Caitlyn Carpenter ’26, a Sunrise member and an organizer of the gathering. “We thought actually teaching schools and planting the seeds for individual campaigns and stronger, larger organizing capacities at various institutions would be much more meaningful” than a singular “mass mobilization,” Carpenter said. Planning for the gathering began in May, Carpenter said. By July, activists from five different universities had joined the organizing team. The gathering was the first time in years that “this many schools (had) come together in one place to really talk about skill building” and “college climate organizing in an environmental justice lens,” Carpenter said.
COURTESY OF BENICIO BEATTY
Sunrise Brown organizers started planning the Climate College Gathering, which took place between Nov. 3 and 5, last May and worked with activists from five other universities across the United States and Canada to make it a reality. “We tried really intentionally to reach into our networks — not only to get people from diverse backgrounds, but also people who are newer to the movement,” said Erin Mackey, a student at the University of Toronto and a CCG organizer. The CCG also aimed to close the gaps in campus climate activism that had developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, organizers said. “It was really hard to organize during (the pandemic) and build connections,” Mackey said. When students graduate, they “take the institutional knowledge with them.” Organizers hoped that the conference would help address those challenges by fostering “an inter-campus foundation of institutional knowledge,” Carpenter said.
Roan Wade, a junior at Dartmouth, echoed that sentiment. “Part of our delegation of students that we brought from Dartmouth were freshmen, and so it was great to have them introduced to these really fundamental aspects of organizing work,” Wade said. In advance of the gathering, organizers fundraised in order to subsidize the cost of transportation for attendees, said Garrett Brand ’26, a Sunrise member and conference organizer. The group also received funding from several University departments and centers, including the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, the Swearer Center for Public Service and the Nelson Entrepreneurship Center, Brand said. “For a significant portion of the attend-
ees, this was entirely free,” Carpenter told The Herald. “That was super important to us because in order to build a movement and ensure accessibility, you can’t have a cost barrier.” CCG also helped arrange housing for visiting students, renting out sleeping bags from the Brown Outing Club and Brown Outdoor Leadership Training for them to use in students’ houses, according to Leo Worthington ’26, a member of Sunrise who helped organize the CCG. “I was so impressed by them organizing places for students to sleep,” said Monet Paredes, a senior at the University of Connecticut and a CCG attendee. “That was just super great — to have them actively trying to make it the best experience possible for us.”
According to Brand, the conference aimed to create spaces for conversations surrounding effective climate organizing. “We’re not approaching this as if we’re teaching a bunch of other students how to do climate organizing,” he said. “We’re all coming together to have conversations and learn from each other and share skills.” Faculty from various University departments spoke on the conference’s panels. Panels such as “The Role of University in Driving Social Change” and “On-Campus & Off-Campus Activism: Bridging the Gap” featured activists, professors, local politicians and University graduate and undergraduate students. The conference also emphasized the importance of environmental justice in the climate movement in addition to the principles of anti-racism. Organizers aimed to shift the “internal focus of the climate movement … away from traditional, exclusionary, very white and carbon-centric ideas,” said Brand, who moderated the “Confronting Environmental Racism” panel. “I liked that (the conference’s) workshops were focusing on race and class privilege,” Paredes said. “That was very helpful to me, as someone who is a halfwhite, half-Latina organizer in a space that is super white.” “It was just such an incredibly valuable experience to be able to talk to other organizers, learn about what they’re doing, learning from them, as well as be able to build those connections … growing into larger movements and solidarity,” Wade said. This article originally appeared online at browndailyherald.com on Nov. 6, 2023.