Opinions - The Brown Daily Herald

Opinions

Byron '15, Gaines '16, Stewart '15, Yu '15: Money, power have no place in Brown’s procedures

By Katie Byron, Justice Gaines and Lauren Stewart | March 10

We are writing as undergraduate representatives on the Task Force on Sexual Assault. Our charge is to create “a safe and secure campus environment.” Fundamental to this, we are told, is protection against sexual assault. “Sexual assault cannot be tolerated on campus and must be addressed in the ...

Opinions

Letter: Brown should ban fraternities

By Brown Daily Herald | March 10

I have been reading with disgust and profound embarrassment the reports about the date-rape drug case at Phi Kappa Psi. While the controversy addresses many of the hot-button topics of the day involving privilege and the treatment of women, the discourse refuses to confront the most important issues ...

Opinions

Asker '17: Criticism of U. for canceling hearing unwarranted

By Nicholas Asker | March 10

In recent days, some criticism of the University for its handling of the case against a Phi Kappa Psi member accused of serving a drink that incapacitated the complainants has been warranted, and some not so much. The criticism launched by people behind the hashtag #MoneyTalksAtBrown, which suggests ...

Opinions

Ford '10: Understand the past, empower the future

By Stephen Ford | March 9

This past month, students across the country celebrated Black History Month. They read books by black authors, wrote research papers on civil rights activists, memorized Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech and watched videos about the Underground Railroad. And, if students are taught ...

Opinions

Editorial: Tangible progress in cybersecurity

By Editorial Page Board | March 9

Brown has demonstrated material progress in addressing the pervasive field of cybersecurity. On March 3, the faculty voted to approve the creation of an Executive Master’s Program in Cybersecurity — a decision that the Corporation must choose whether to approve at its May meeting. As previously ...

Opinions

Malik '18: Attempt to connect

By Ameer Malik | March 9

I am someone who is getting sick of technological advancements, especially because it seems to me that many new innovations are presented as if they are completely superior to older models. I remember watching an Apple commercial and getting angry: It started by showing the utility and ubiquity of a ...

Opinions

Al-Salem '17: Accent shouldn’t be a meter for intelligence

By Sara Al-Salem | March 6

I have never been a fan of classes that require attendance in section. There are usually too many students, awkward attempts by a recently graduated teaching assistant to create dialogue and that one student who thinks she or he is the voice of common sense. But I go to them anyway because a) I don’t ...

Opinions

Corvese '15: From PawSox to ProSox?

By Gabriella Corvese | March 6

I was never a big fan of watching baseball, whether on ESPN or in person — the endless innings bored me. But experiencing the sport at a historic stadium was always a spectacle worth beholding. Growing up in Rhode Island, I spent countless childhood summer days in the stands at McCoy Stadium, home ...

Opinions

Kenyon GS: Jeb Bush, the doobie brother?

By Ian Kenyon | March 5

Last weekend, I reviewed speeches from the annual Conservative Political Action Conference hosted by the American Conservative Union in Washington, D.C. While the 2016 presidential primaries are still more than a year in the distance, CPAC’s annual pep rally revealed two insights. First, it reinforced ...

Opinions

Secondo '16: Diving in

By Reid Secondo | March 5

Perhaps it’s the time of year when midterms make me introspectively moody, but my outlook has been blue recently. Especially as I navigate the Arctic tundra and gaze upon the undulating ocean of blue Canada Goose jackets occupying College Hill this winter, with the fur hood trims flapping like whitecaps ...

Opinions

Editorial: Too many academic resources, little organization

By Editorial Page Board | March 5

With the myriad of academic and extracurricular resources available at Brown, communication must exist among the various support systems in order to provide coherent, consistent advice. First-years typically receive an adviser — either a faculty member or a dean — along with a Meiklejohn peer adviser; ...

Opinions

Letter: A child left behind

By Brown Daily Herald | March 5

To the Editor: The recent article “Black R.I. students see high suspension rates” in the “Playground to Prison” series addresses a serious problem that the legislature in this state needs to address now. The writer quotes an ACLU report, “The School-to-Prison Pipeline in Black and White,” ...

Opinions

Editorial: Data: A common language for a better Brown

By Editorial Page Board | March 4

Updated March 18, 2015 at 2:00 a.m. At the beginning of the week the Brown community received an email from Dean of the College Maud Mandel and Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Margaret Klawunn encouraging every student to fill out the "Enrolled Student Survey," designed by the Consortium ...

Opinions

Powers '15: Condemn abuse, not pedophiles

By Andrew Powers | March 4

At Brown, you can find students eagerly discussing the nuances of nearly any topic. Whether it’s Palestine, alcohol policy or the environment, it seems every student on campus always has an opinion to share. Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, this is not the case when it comes to an issue as grave as ...

Opinions

Mitra '18: Revising First Readings

By Mili Mitra | March 4

On Feb. 6, Maud Mandel, dean of the College, emailed members of the Brown community with the final choices for this year’s First Readings program, launched in 2007. I have heard peers discuss the four options and debate their merits, notably hailing Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow.” Many ...

Opinions

Khleif '15: It’s cold outside, and not just for students

By Zein Khleif | March 3

Last Thursday I was leading a tour group of shivering students and their parents throughout our campus. After four 15-minute rounds in below freezing temperatures, it took all of the professionalism in me not to jog the last route. The nearly frozen prospectives and I were counting down the minutes ...

Opinions

Feldman '15: Speaking up to succeed

By Andrew Feldman | March 3

As a science concentrator at Brown, it is extremely possible to avoid the open curriculum. The open curriculum is designed to allow students to pursue their passions, whether those passions lie in several disciplines or in a single one. Nowhere in my concentration requirements was I forced to learn ...

Opinions

Editorial: An Apple a day

By Editorial Page Board | March 3

Staring at screens for hours each day is a fundamental part of the college student’s existence, both in and out of the classroom. There is no question that technology is a vital aspect of the modern college career. The 21st century lecture hall has become a sea of glowing Apples. But add up all the ...

Opinions

Makhlouf '16: Miscalculated arrogance

By Peter Makhlouf | March 2

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will speak to Congress Tuesday, March 3, in an event unprecedented in U.S. history. Never before has the Speaker of the House invited a foreign diplomat to instruct the bicameral legislature on its own foreign policy measures. When Netanyahu speaks, he will ...

Opinions

Editorial: GET — Bear Bucks online

By Editorial Page Board | March 2

Bear Bucks machines are centrally located and well-spaced throughout campus, with stations at the Sciences Library, J. Walter Wilson, the Sharpe Refectory, the Verney-Woolley Dining Hall, the Rockefeller Library and the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. But for students who live off campus or need ...