Columns

Ahmed ’27: Kids can teach us more than you think

By Shayyan Ahmed | March 13

A baby’s piercing wail on a long flight, a toddler launching an assault of questions and a fifth grader unapologetically picking their nose — it’s no question that children have tested our patience countless times. But while kids can surely generate occasional frustration, the positivity and community ...

Davis ’27: Progressivism alone isn’t enough

By Christian Davis | March 12

A couple of Sundays ago, the films “Anora” and “Emilia Pérez” went home with trophies after the 2025 Academy Awards. Based on this year’s winners, the primary criterion seems to be films that champion progressivism. But they did not go home without their fair share of pushback.

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Tao ’27: Man up and clean your room

By Evan Tao | March 12

Empty Monster cans clutter the closet, sweaty t-shirts hang from the pull-up bar, a used bath towel is draped over the desk chair and the only things neatly stacked are tubs of protein powder. Welcome to the stereotypical college man’s dorm room.

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Ricks ’27: African American identity matters

By Kendall Ricks | March 7

As Black History Month came to an end last week, I reflected on my identity as an African American at Brown. My contemplation has left me with more questions than answers, but there are a few things I know to be true. African Americans hold a unique identity within the United States and the African ...

Lair ’28: We should complain a little less — for our own sakes

By CJ Lair | March 4

In his column, CJ Lair ’28 argues that Brown students must overcome our default negative mindset and take charge of our own academic well-being.

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Barrozo ’26: To Brown’s international students, don’t let your visa decide your education

By Julia Barrozo | March 3

When I applied to Brown, I was enamored by the promise of the Open Curriculum. As an indecisive learner with far too many interests, I saw Brown as a perfect fit — an academic playground where I could explore freely. However, within my first year, my idealized expectations quickly unraveled. ...

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Barth Wu ’26: Chew On This: The Met at RISD

By Eleanor Barth Wu | February 28

It is a truth locally acknowledged that the Rhode Island School of Design is cooler than Brown University. This encompasses all manner of things: clothing, people and, so I have heard, the food.

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Davis ’27: Brown students can create a new Republican Party

By Christian Davis | February 27

The contemporary American political imagination became acquainted with cruelty in 2016. President Trump’s first election campaign was laced with obscenities that grew to be taboo in the new 21st-century liberal America. His campaign championed slogans like “Build the Wall” and a crowning jewel ...

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Ahmed ’27: What the American LGBTQ+ movement needs to learn from Thailand

By Shayyan Ahmed | February 27

Pad thai, tom yum and green curry are all Thai recipes that we know and love. But Thailand’s most notable recipe has gone unnoticed: Its formula for success in progressive politics. Just last year, Thailand legalized same-sex marriage in a triumphant victory, a historic first for Southeast Asia. This ...

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Tao ’27: I’m the main character (and so are you)

By Evan Tao | February 26

One summer, my sister and I attended a community boating camp, where we came across a girl who looked eerily like Miranda Cosgrove. My sister and I joked that we had clearly stumbled into a sailing-themed Disney Channel movie, wherein we were merely a comic relief duo and the Miranda lookalike was the ...

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Aizenberg ’26: Don’t worry about doing things the ‘correct’ way

By Benjamin Aizenberg | February 26

South African mixed martial artist Dricus du Plessis was completely written off heading into his fight against former champion Robert Whittaker. Analysts labeled du Plessis “slow,” “mediocre” and lacking in basic kickboxing and wrestling techniques. Oddsmakers deemed him a massive underdog. ...

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Lair ’28: Trump is breaking the press

By CJ Lair | February 21

In 2018, Herald columnist Fabiana Vilsan ’19 analyzed the news media’s portrayal of President Trump during his first term. Amid President Trump’s dramatic return to the Oval Office, I returned to Vilsan’s commentary to try to understand the exact ways Trump has changed between his two terms, ...

Quote in an image: "This calculated desensitization leads to the same surface-level discourse that prevented constructive criticism in Trump’s first term."

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Barrozo ’26: Next time your houseplant dies remember this lesson

By Julia Barrozo | February 19

Every semester, I have this urge to purchase a new plant for my room. I’ll walk to the plant shop blatantly disregarding the death of its predecessor, unfazed by the two shriveled leaves from my once-thriving Monstera. Despite their short lifespans, I firmly believe that a room is only complete when ...

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Guan ’27: You have a say in combating isolationism

By Lucas Guan | February 19

The United States is at an important turning point. Founded on principles of globalization, our country has instead become more insular than ever. The past decade has seen a significant erosion of these founding principles in favor of nativism, xenophobia and religious nationalism, culminating in President ...

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Tao ’27: Repair, don’t replace, your relationships

By Evan Tao | February 19

In a rich social ecosystem like Brown, it can feel easy to replace relationships, rather than repair. Yet it is by having the difficult conversations and leaning into the discomfort of conflict resolution that strong relationships can flourish.

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Davis ’27: Andrew Yang has the charisma. But does he have the policy?

By Christian Davis | February 14

Like many other Brunonians, I decided to spend my Monday night this week in the Salomon Center, listening to the former 2020 presidential candidate offer his thoughts on the current state of our democracy. Andrew Yang ’96 came out ten minutes early to shake hands, his speech had the audience erupting ...

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Ricks ’27: Gen Z needs to make the first move

By Kendall Ricks | February 14

This Valentine’s Day, there is one book I cannot get off my mind: Edith Wharton’s “The Age of Innocence.” Many of its themes remain relevant today: critiques of societal expectations and our adherence to them, individual versus collective duty and the limits of fate and free will. However, what ...

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Cheong ’27: Stop bonding over how smart you are

By Daniel Cheong | February 12

I saw a video not too long ago of the 2011 Occupy Wall Street movement. The video showed a large crowd of people storming Wall Street with signs condemning capitalists and billionaires. On the balconies lining Wall Street were bankers and stockbrokers in their fancy suits, sipping champagne, taking ...

Pull quote: "Privileged students at Brown too often do not recognize that their academic talents were, to an extent, given to them through their socioeconomic status."

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Barth Wu ’26: Chew On This: Oberlin

By Eleanor Barth Wu | February 12

A quick google search for “Oberlin” in the Providence area will likely return the Ohio college well known for its music conservatory. The second result is of greater interest to this column: a Rhode Island restaurant of the same name. So, on a Monday night, I headed down College Hill for a 7:30 ...

Pull quote: "For better or worse, the obscure words on the menu and the fourteen dollar plate of vegetables made it feel sophisticated; however, it was the truly delicious food that made the meal special."

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Ahmed ’27: Activism has a race problem

By Shayyan Ahmed | February 10

Odds are the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of the current global conflicts are either the war in Ukraine or the war in Gaza. Less likely to be brought up is Sudan, where the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis is unfolding, unknown to most of the Western world. So where are the marches ...