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Opinions

Opinions

Reynolds '17: Towards a united public opinion

Recently, I have begun to think more deeply about what I believe politically. This year I will be voting in my second presidential election, and I have changed a lot as a person since the last. I hope that any student planning on voting gives their political beliefs similar thought. Some might not find ...


Opinions

Vilsan '19: I’ve got spirit, how ’bout you?

Several months ago, as a wide-eyed freshman eager to call Brown her new home, I purchased more Brown merchandise than I wish to admit. Where did the sudden burst of school pride come from? Maybe it was the repressed cheerleader inside me, who hadn’t had the chance to tap into her pep in a European ...


Opinions

Krishnamurthy '19: Republic of dreams

When U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-MD, who represents the predominantly black localities of Baltimore County, spoke in MacMillan Hall Tuesday, he was unsparing in his excoriation of the new American condition. In a talk that was largely extemporaneous and unprepared — “My speeches come from my heart, ...


Opinions

Mitra '18: Elections and the entertainment quotient

When I first saw the emerging presidential field last January, I remember making a rather obvious pronouncement: “Well, at least 2016 will be entertaining.” As part of the generation raised on election coverage from “The Daily Show” and “Saturday Night Live,” I had high expectations. Given ...


Opinions

Murage '17: Simba

For us African students here at Brown, culture shock comes in many forms — some trivial, some funny and others grim. You never know when it might strike. So, when I attended a social event one week into my freshman year, I was thrilled to devour some of the highly acclaimed American cheese and scavenge ...


Opinions

Editorial: Supporting displaced scholars

In February of this year, Brown accepted a scholar who had been displaced by the Syrian Civil War. Tarek, who spoke to The Herald last week as a part of its series on Syrians in Providence and whose name has been changed to preserve anonymity for the sake of his and his family’s safety, left his ...


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Campbell '18: Between a rock and a hard place

I don’t have to convince anyone reading this that Brown is a costly school to attend. The school covers about a third of my costs, but even so, every semester my family and I shell out a veritable fortune to allow me to be here. Almost 71 percent of the nation’s class of 2015 took out loans to pay ...


Opinions

Al-Salem '17: Turquoise faith

I rarely like to make a big to-do about religion because I feel like it is a very private, personal thing. But I have recently begun noticing that religion is often pitted against academia and intelligence, as if the two cannot exist together. I wanted to take the chance as a columnist to write a two-part ...


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Rowland '17: Economics and Enlightenment

I always laugh at the idea of taking a “fourth class” — the idea that three of the courses we take relate to our concentration and the fourth is “just for fun.” I understand the principle behind the phrase, but the wording is peculiar. Is a course outside of your discipline less important? ...


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Letter: Students for Justice in Palestine hummus boycott

To the Editor: Thanks for the article, “Hummus options added after SJP protest,” March 8. As a Mizrahi Jew, it was enlightening to read that “‘(my) ancestors have been eating hummus, (and) they have been eating hummus for their whole lives.’” This came as a shock, mostly because I don’t ...


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Johnson '19: Political conviction or self-righteousness?

A memorable line from the Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan Sunday came from Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT: “Democrats are not always right.” That truth should be acknowledged more often than it is, especially in our contentious political climate. Bernie’s assertion is important because even though ...


Opinions

Tisch '17: Why Brown needs a gynecologist

Like many people, I am not particularly fond of pelvic examinations. Even when performed with the utmost care, sensitivity and expertise, this essential examination can be a source of both anxiety and discomfort. I recently visited Health Services to deal with a nonurgent “female” issue. I was prompted ...

Tisch_GYN_EmmaJerzyk

Opinions

Savello '18: Success: not a numbers game

If you ask Brown students why they like their school, chances are the S/NC option and related academic freedom will be within the top five reasons. In fact, it’s this lack of emphasis on grades — and the complete nonexistence of GPA — that draws so many of us to Brown in the first place. Lower ...


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Malik '18: The gatekeepers of knowledge

As an ardent defender of the humanities who believes they should be valued and encouraged as fields of study, I am disturbed by a news article published recently in the New York Times. The piece, “A Rising Call to Promote STEM Funding and Cut Liberal Arts Education,” describes a growing trend in ...


Opinions

O'Shea '19: Welcome to the Heps

Last weekend, in a cold, clear corner of the Empire State, a battle raged. The eight Track and Field teams of the Ivy League assembled for the 68th meeting of the Indoor Heptagonal Games. This grand tradition provided two days of agony and ecstasy to its participants and spectators, as the emotions ...


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Bhargava ’17: The great escape

I first discovered the Absolute Quiet Room in the Rockefeller Library over the summer. I was roaming the library, looking for a place to sit and read a research paper — the sort that had obscure mathematical symbols scattered on every page — and when I saw a worn-out red armchair in the distance, ...


Opinions

Steinman ’19: The echo chamber: all we have in common

“You know where Hillary’s campaign headquarters should be?” laughed the Donald Trump supporter, his breath curling up like smoke in the cold. “Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex.” He cracked up at his own joke and went on to mock other candidates as he waved a “Make America Great Again” ...


Opinions

Editorial: A comment on comments

The Herald removed the ability for readers to leave comments not linked to an e-mail account and user name on our site yesterday. The comments section of any website can and should be a place for readers to conduct a productive discussion about the site’s content. But comments sections have an unfortunate ...


Opinions

Letter: Supporting Middle East studies

To the Editor: I read Sara Al-Salem’s Feb. 26 column with great interest and empathy. Many years ago, when I was an international student at Brown, I had an emotional breakdown due to some private reasons involving my family. I could not handle the double stress of trying to sort out personal issues, ...


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Friedman '19: Let’s unpack ‘unpacking’

I always knew that college was going to be full of conversations: late-night, lengthy, profound and sometimes uncomfortable. As a high school student, I relished in the prospect of living with fellow students who were just as willing to engage with intellectual ideas as I was. I imagined that serendipitous ...


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