Editorials

Students line up outside the Salomon Center for Learning on a bright spring day.

Dissent: Brown’s deal with Trump is appeasement, not pragmatism

By Paul Hudes | August 5

My colleagues on the editorial page board have described Brown’s agreement with the Trump administration as a “win” for pragmatism and preservation, on the basis that Brown has “traded little in exchange for the restoration of its research funding.” This outlook mirrors the framing offered ...

Editorial: In its fight against the Trump administration, Brown prevails

By Editorial Page Board | August 5

Almost four months after the Trump administration announced plans to cut more than half a billion dollars in Brown’s federal research funding, the University has reached an agreement with the government to restore funding and eligibility for future awards.

A photo of the Main Green with University Hall in the background on a cloudy day.

Editorial: Student government actually matters

By Editorial Page Board | April 16

In this fraught moment for higher education, student government is more important than ever. The upcoming Student Government Association elections — and particularly that of the Undergraduate Council of Students — are an opportunity for our student body to influence how we are represented both on ...

Editorial: Trump’s attack on international students’ free speech is an attack on American values

By Editorial Page Board | April 9

Although the Editorial Page Board is divided on the issue of divestment of Brown’s endowment from companies affiliated with Israel, we agree on this: Detaining a student for writing an op-ed is a grave violation of free speech and due process. It is antithetical to the values of a democratic society. ...

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Editorial: In attempting to destroy universities like Brown, Trump abandons America’s future

By Editorial Page Board | April 4

On Thursday night, a White House official confirmed to The Herald that the Trump administration plans to cut $510 million in federal funding to Brown, making the University the fifth Ivy League institution to have its funding threatened in recent weeks. This development represents another volley in ...

Editorial: Brown’s Fulbright achievement is what makes Brown, Brown

By Editorial Page Board | March 5

In the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, Brown defined its unique place within the American consciousness by flaunting its countercultural streak through the newly formed Open Curriculum and vehement student activism. The legendary but fleeting Semiotics — later Modern Culture and Media — department helped ...

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Opinions

Dissent: Dream Team’s campaign against BPU is a valid rebuttal

By Paulie Malherbe | March 3

On Friday, the editorial page board published a piece on the recent controversy surrounding a canceled Brown Political Union debate. I did not sign on to the piece.

Opinions

Editorial: Students must not be protected from debate

By Editorial Page Board | February 28

This week, the Brown Political Union was planning to host a Monday debate on the topic of whether local police should cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. In response, the Dream Team, a student organization representing undocumented students at Brown, wrote that it was “out of touch” ...

Opinions

Editorial: Who are we?

By Editorial Page Board | February 5

Since 2009, The Brown Daily Herald’s editorial page board has provided the Brown community with “informed commentary on topics that are timely, relevant and thought-provoking” as an institutional voice independent from the newsroom. Given increasing ideological divides and political upheavals ...

Opinions

Editorial: It’s time for Brown students to show up at the polls

By Editorial Page Board | October 31

A little under four years ago, we endured the most blatant attempt to overthrow a presidential election in the history of the United States. Only a few of the current students at Brown were old enough to vote in that election; most of us were merely observers. But now, as election day comes crashing ...

Opinions

Editorial: Living off-campus shouldn’t feel this precarious

By Editorial Page Board | October 29

It’s no secret that Providence has a housing crisis. Gentrification, limited options and the effects of institutions like Brown purchasing more and more land have all contributed to a hostile market for many of the city’s residents. Rising prices do not spare off-campus rentals either, and students ...

Opinions

Editorial: Do your students text in class? There’s a simple solution.

By Editorial Page Board | October 16

It’s five minutes into a lecture class. The student in the front row clicks away from their class notes into their Messages app. Next to them, a student is playing today’s New York Times crossword. This scene is unremarkable — it has become the hallmark of the lecture. But should we ...

Opinions

Editorial: Our peers have protected campus diversity. Brown needs to take notes.

By Editorial Page Board | September 25

On Sept. 6, Brown student inboxes were slammed with disappointing news: The racial profile of the Class of 2028 was significantly less diverse than in years prior.

Opinions

Editorial: It’s time for Brown to reform its faculty advising

By Editorial Page Board | April 19

As pre-registration comes to an end, many of us are reminded of the inadequacy of Brown’s faculty advising system. Whether you were met with a deafening silence from your advisor or a last-minute registration pin number, it is during this time of year when Brown’s lack of support becomes more apparent. ...

Opinions

Editorial: Don’t take reproductive and contraceptive care access for granted

By Editorial Page Board | March 11

The Alabama Supreme Court’s recent decision legally defining frozen embryos as children has already limited access within the state to reproductive care, such as in vitro fertilization. This decision is a striking reminder of the privileges we enjoy in a state like Rhode Island and at a school like ...

Opinions

Editorial: Brown should prioritize its foundational learning goals when addressing AI

By Editorial Page Board | February 25

This semester, there is a new phrase haunting professors’ syllabi: artificial intelligence. Each course seems to have a different statement on AI: For some classes, the use of AI is defined as plagiarism; for others, it is permitted as long as students cite how the technology was used. Some ...

Opinions

Editorial: Antisemitism at Brown is a wound to our community

By Editorial Page Board | February 14

On Sunday morning, Brown-RISD Hillel leaders received violent threats in their inboxes, specifically targeting Hillel employees, their families and the Brown-RISD Hillel Weiner Center. The incident came just four days after Christina Paxson’s school-wide email which stated that the University is working ...

Opinions

Editorial: The long tradition of hunger striking at Brown and beyond

By Editorial Page Board | February 9

This past Friday, 19 Brown students announced an indefinite hunger strike in a call for Brown’s Corporation — the University’s highest governing body — to hear and consider their calls for divestment from companies identified in a 2020 report which it says “profit from human rights abuses ...

Opinions

Editorial: Need-blind international admissions is an important step on a long road to educational equity

By Editorial Page Board | February 7

The University announced Jan. 25 that it will shift to a need-blind admissions process for international students, beginning with the class of 2029. The decision comes just over 20 years after Brown adopted a need-blind policy for domestic applicants in 2003, which barred financial background or ability ...

Opinions

Editorial: Survey says: Fill out your course evaluations

By Editorial Page Board | December 7

In their editorial, the editorial page board encourages students to fill out course evaluations and Critical Review surveys.