I must thank a friend who recently encouraged me to seek out a salient university document that I had treated, at best, with indifference. This noteworthy piece of text is the oft-disputed Brown University mission statement. From what I am told, it received considerable revision in the past two decades, ...
Last Friday afternoon found me at the Brown Bookstore, searching for that elusive species of textbook which has a "love me, I'm marginally less expensive" used sticker without six thousand markers' worth of unnecessary highlighting. The bookstore's Web site had lured me in with the promise that the ...
To the Editor:In Hunter Fast's recent column ("In defense of Ruth," Jan. 28), he erroneously states that the Brown endowment lost $800 billion during the financial meltdown. In fact, the endowment lost $800 million. I'm sure Fast simply made a typographical error, but I worry about the fact that this ...
I love hosting prospective freshmen. Last semester, I showed a delightful young woman from New York City around campus. I took her through the Main Green, to Jo's for a late night snack and, the next morning, to the Ratty for breakfast. (I figured it would be honest to expose her to ...
More positive alterations are in the works for Rhode Island's developing cannabis laws. State Reps. Joseph Almeida and John M. Carnevale are seeking to streamline the distribution of medical marijuana and discourage abuse of the substance. The state already allows patients with chronic pain or their ...
To the Editor:
Between the two sure things in life — death and taxes — Amazon.com seems determined to eschew at least the latter in many places in this country. Collecting sales tax on Amazon.com was a largely ignored issue because, in most states, the online store has no legal obligation to collect taxes ...
During a reception for international students at the Faculty Club last month, Vice President for International Affairs, Matthew Gutmann, was questioned by concerned students about why the Watson Institute has not yet taken to starting programs on contemporary China and Southeast Asia.
The last time the Brown community broached the subject of holidays, the University eliminated Columbus Day amidst fierce debate and controversy. We are certain, though, that Columbus Day enthusiasts and detractors alike will appreciate our new recommended tradition.
In a column in Thursday's Herald ("In defense of Ruth," Jan. 28), an incorrect value was given for the losses to the Brown endowment over the course of the current financial crisis. In fact, the endowment lost $740 million over the 12 months ending June 30.
As I read the heart-wrenching accounts of people being pulled from the rubble in Port-au-Prince, I couldn't help but wonder what we hope to do for Haiti in the long term. Eventually the streets will be cleared of rubble and the wounds will start to heal. But what comes next?
Nobody likes hidden fees, as is painstakingly obvious to anyone who has watched television long enough to see advertisements for cell phone service providers, banks, car insurance companies or airlines. Brown, thankfully, does not add extra, undisclosed charges to stated tuition and fees. However, it ...
In the last week alone, two new reports emerged of prominent individuals using digital technology for unseemly purposes. A former aide to 2004 Democratic Vice Presidential nominee John Edwards alleged that Edwards recorded sexual acts on DVD, and Greg Oden, the top overall pick in the 2007 NBA Draft, ...
I feel like someone out there in the intricate corporate web that is Brown is sticking it to me every time I buy food at the Gate, Jo's or the Ivy Room. The other day I missed dinner in the V-Dub, so I decided to go to the Gate for a meal. A meal at the Gate is six bucks, and it bought me a cup of soup, ...
In a recent national survey of college freshmen, 56.5 percent said that future job prospects were a "very important" factor in deciding which school to attend. According to the Cooperative Institutional Research Program at the University of California, Los Angeles, which conducts the survey annually, ...
The second wave of novel H1N1 influenza — the swine flu — is over, and the number of new cases continues to decrease. However, this does not mean that the virus is finished. The 1918 flu swept the world in three waves: first in the spring and summer of 1918, then in the fall, and finally ...
As spring kicks into high gear far too early for any of us to handle, all of our hard-earned summer cash is doomed to spiral (counter-clockwise, since we're in the northern hemisphere) straight down the drain. The city of Providence is looking forward to the Brown community returning to its stores and ...
The earthquake that ravaged Haiti earlier this month was a powerful reminder of the country's deep-seated poverty and political misrule. But it was also a reminder that humans are sometimes powerless against the earth — that natural disasters can kill thousands, wound many more and turn civilization ...
The semesters are always extremely busy, with tons of classes, exams and papers. On top of all the coursework, students have many extracurricular responsibilities. Most students can barely cram in a social life, let alone an occasional full night's sleep. Overwhelmed by the breadth of work and ...
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