Op Ed

Rogers: Universities need courage in the age of American authoritarianism

By Melvin Rogers | March 13

A few weeks ago, I had the extraordinary opportunity to discuss my work — the role of faith and struggle in democratic politics — with a group of students at the University of San Diego. Despite being in sunny California, we found ourselves drawn to the troubling question: What will we do when our ...

Mackie ’59: Brown’s unfinished business: pedestrianizing Brown and Benevolent Streets

By Peter Mackie | March 9

On April 30, 2012, Brown and the City of Providence signed a Memorandum of Agreement in which the University purchased sections of Benevolent, Brown and Olive Streets. In addition, the City licensed 250 revenue-producing on-street parking spaces to Brown for faculty and staff use. In turn, the University ...

Graphic with the quote: "Every inch of green space is more critical to student physical and psychological well-being. These barren streets do nothing to promote intimacy, connectedness and a sense of community."

Rackoff ’25: Reflections from an anti-Zionist academic echo chamber

By Maya Rackoff | March 3

Last month, I attended the “Non-Zionist Jewish Traditions” conference hosted by the Cogut Institute for the Humanities. The conference consisted of five panels and two roundtable discussions across two days. I attended one each day. While I, unfortunately, did not experience the full program, the ...

Adriano ’25: Before you go to Puerto Rico for spring break, understand your responsibility as a tourist

By Sebasstián Adriano | March 2

U.S. tourists have a global reputation. They’re known for their college merchandise, poor sense of geography and very loud conversations. While some of these traits may be comical or even endearing, the nature of such tourism can also be harmful. As a native of Puerto Rico — a destination where ...

Ziegler GS: In ‘tough waters,’ Brown needs a better team at the helm

By Michael Ziegler | February 27

Over the last four months, Provost Francis Doyle has repeatedly sounded the alarm on the state of the University’s finances. In December, he announced a series of “community actions” that aim to tackle Brown’s 2025 $46 million structural operating deficit. Notably, these actions include reductions ...

Tribe ’27: Democracy is under attack. Where is your outrage?

By Isabel Tribe | February 25

Experts are calling it a coup. Law professors warn of a constitutional crisis. And we’re just one month into the second Trump administration.

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Opinions

Nesselson ’26: I’m a vegan student athlete. Here’s why

By Cole Nesselson | February 21

Dog meat for sale? Bewildered, I tried to avoid eye contact with the smiling guy who called out to me saying, “Would you like to try some dog meat?” His hand was outstretched, holding a small toothpick with God-knows-what on the end of it. I said “No, thanks” and hurried into the Sharpe Refectory. ...

Opinions

Kwon ’25, Kattler ’27, Takahashi ’28: Police raids on homeless encampments are cruel and inhumane

By Remi Takahashi, Ayla Kattler and San Kwon | February 19

In the past five years, homelessness in Rhode Island has more than doubled, and unsheltered homelessness has almost increased fivefold. In 2024, 2,442 Rhode Islanders were experiencing homelessness. In response to this crisis, there has been a significant increase in police presence and crackdowns on ...

The words "The increasing police raids on homeless encampments, especially, should be condemned for what they are — pointless, ruthless and inhumane." pasted on a gray background.

Opinions

Scurry ’25: I’m writing my thesis on love. Here’s what I've learned

By Mason Scurry | February 14

In my sophomore year at Brown, I wrote a 20-page proposal for an independent concentration that I never submitted. It was called “The Principles of Love,” and my goal was to determine — once and for all — what love actually is.

Opinions

Radziner ’24: Still In Progress

By Asher Radziner | February 9

Everyone is trying to figure out what happened in this year’s presidential election. How is it possible that Donald Trump secured such a decisive victory? I certainly don’t have all the answers, but I do know one thing: Americans don’t talk to each other. As a young, university-educated Democrat, ...

Opinions

Bittker ’27: The case against student internships

By Gray Bittker | February 3

Positions applied to on Handshake that you’ll likely never hear back from, a mountain of cover letters to fit every application, LinkedIn posts from your peers flaunting their job acceptances: These are the emblems of the dreaded student internship search process. As the summer draws closer and many ...

Opinions

Marcus ’26: A return to calm on campus

By Ben Marcus | November 22

In recent weeks, there has been a palpable shift on campus. Classes feel more collaborative, students have returned to relaxing on the Main Green and we’ve all been able to watch the leaves fall as autumn settles in. The atmosphere is more peaceful as the divisive protests that dominated campus for ...

Opinions

Angelino MPH’24: Taking a stand to protect freedom of the press

By Domenic Angelino | November 18

Freedom of expression, freedom of thought and the freedom to share information are at the core of what it means to be a member of the Brown community. These rights ensure our capacity to influence communities far beyond our own. Despite the importance of these freedoms, many of us take these rights ...

Opinions

Carpenter ’26: The faculty must vote on Fossil Free Research

By Caitlyn Carpenter | November 12

In September 2011, faculty at the Brown School of Public Health decided that enough was enough: The manipulative tobacco industry would be banned from funding faculty research. For decades, Big Tobacco had backed biased research to support its deadly agenda, threatening academic integrity and creating ...

Opinions

Grossman ’24: Investment ethics committees were a proud Brown tradition. Paxson and Carey destroyed them.

By Eli Grossman | November 10

The Advisory Committee on Corporate Responsibility in Investment Policies and its successor committee, the Advisory Committee on University Resources Management, have historically represented Brown’s commitment to take responsibility for the moral implications of its investment policies. Unfortunately, ...

Opinions

Suthy ’27, Gale ’28, Redlich ’28: It’s not too late to vote

By Lillian Gale , Nihil Suthy and Avery Redlich | November 4

The general election is on everyone’s mind, and anticipation here on campus is rising exponentially. This was as evident as ever when we were out tabling with Brown Votes these past few weeks. Many students took initiative, coming up to us to learn how they could register. These same students brought ...

An illustration of an envelope with a slip of paper inside that says "Brown votes."

Opinions

Carey: ACURM maintains a tradition and set of principles that date back to 1978

By Russell Carey | October 25

Carey: The principles that underpin divestment considerations at Brown trace back decades.

Opinions

Slevin ’25: Democracy is good, actually

By Isaac Slevin | October 24

In his op-ed, Isaac Slevin ’25 argues that the Brown Corporation does not represent the interests of the University community and must be reformed.

Opinions

Ashhab ’25: The Corporation’s decision against Palestinian human rights is no surprise — but it will not be forgotten

By Aboud Ashhab | October 18

Around noon on Wednesday Oct. 9, students at the University received an email from Chancellor Brian Moynihan ’81 P’14 P’19 and President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 detailing the culmination of the University’s battle against the student divestment movement. As is so often the case with ...

Opinions

Brand ’26, Daniel ’27: The fossil fuel industry caused Hurricane Helene. Brown cannot allow it to fund our research.

By Chloe Daniel and Garrett Brand | October 9

In their op-ed, Garrett Brand ’26 and Chloe Daniel ’27 argue that Brown must sever ties with the fossil fuel industry in its research.