Opinions - The Brown Daily Herald

Opinions

Colby '20, Grassfield '19, Klein '20: Don’t delete the public policy concentration

By Owen Colby, Eve Grassfield and Noah Klein | November 25

In a report circulated to students in an early October email, the Office of the Dean of the College proposed the combination of Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs’ three undergraduate concentrations into one concentration, which would be the third largest concentration at Brown. ...

Opinions

Nugent '21: Manchester City will claim the Premier League crown

By Patrick Nugent | November 25

And then there were two. Chelsea’s 3-1 loss to Tottenham Saturday leaves only Manchester City and Liverpool unbeaten in the Premier League this season. The defeat also puts what seems to be the final nail in the coffin of Chelsea’s title campaign, early in the season though it may be. With 33 points ...

Opinions

Letter: Paxson establishes false dichotomy between unionization and collaboration

By Margaret Shea | November 19

To the Editor: Is there any evidence that unionization at other universities has corroded positive relationships between graduate students and administrators? If there is, President Paxson P’19 would do well to share it. It is hard to imagine that graduate students at, say, New York University, have ...

Opinions

Editors' note: What we're thankful for

By 128th Editorial Board | November 19

Early reads, creative ledes, chairs with wheels, free drinks and meals. Late night chais, Baja’s spicy fries — with salsa verde. Screaming cowboy memes, Diane forever and Alice, Alice and more Alice. Working WiFi, Vivi tea and snow days. Maisie and Michael. Thank you notes, approved pull quotes, ...

Opinions

Simshauser '20: A retreat from the center

By Derek Simshauser | November 18

As the final provisional ballots from the 2018 midterm elections are counted, and the forecasted Democratic wave in the House becomes more precise (most likely a gain of at least 37 seats), the electoral significance can be parsed. Certainly, exit polls from the House have already revealed concrete ...

Opinions

Rehmet '20, Flynn '20: Save the interdisciplinary appeal of public policy

By Emily Rehmet and James Flynn | November 15

A week ago, Edward Steinfeld, director of the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, emailed development studies, international relations and public policy concentrators with an update on the proposed restructuring of Watson’s concentrations. For those who have not kept up with the ...

Opinions

Schmidt '21: The plight of the single-parent household

By Rachael Schmidt | November 14

An amazing opportunity for Brown students is the exposure to people from a variety of cultures and backgrounds and getting to learn from their experiences. But there’s a group of students that is often overlooked, with not many people understanding the burdens upon them: those coming from single-parent ...

Opinions

Meszaros GS: Better pedestrian signals for a safer Providence

By E.L. Meszaros | November 14

On my short walk to campus, I cross intersections with pedestrian traffic signals where the light has burnt out, where the light never changes and where the whole light pole has been turned to face away from the intersection. While much of pedestrian safety is beyond the power of these little lighted ...

Opinions

Wilks '15 GS: Graduate student unionization improves power dynamics, institutional memory

By Benjamin Wilks | November 14

It is important to celebrate our achievements; Brown University and its student, staff and faculty representatives have accomplished a lot in its very long history. However, the recent barrage of propaganda targeting graduate students on a daily basis from various administrative offices in response ...

Opinions

Letter: Unionization would further shared governance

By William Keach | November 13

To the Editor: In response to President Christina Paxson’s P’19 Nov. 12 op-ed in The Herald: “shared governance” is valuable to the extent that it includes shared power. Forming a union will give Brown graduate students the agency to advocate for and address their needs both as students and ...

Opinions

Steinman '19: The Blue Wave needs an agenda

By Clare Steinman | November 12

With the Democrats’ long-expected reclamation of the House of Representatives last week, President Trump and his allies certainly anticipate the beginning of a fierce Democratic backlash. Why else fire former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who in the president’s own depiction has failed to adequately ...

Opinions

Miller '19: The burden of winning a House majority

By Emily Miller | November 12

Democrats achieved a resounding victory in the 2018 midterm elections, which will allow them to seat enough party members to assume control of the U.S. House of Representatives in January. These seats should provide a powerful check on President Trump and Republicans, whose control of both the House ...

Opinions

Editorial: Project Tampon updates welcome news, but questions remain

By Editorial Page Board | November 12

In the fall of 2016, Brown students were welcomed back onto campus with the heartening news that the Undergraduate Council of Students would begin supplying pads and tampons in women’s, men’s and gender-inclusive restrooms throughout campus — an initiative now known as Project Tampon. In the spring ...

Opinions

Paxson P'19: The value of shared governance

By Christina Paxson | November 11

In the coming days, graduate student teaching and research assistants at Brown will vote on whether or not to unionize. This is an incredibly important decision. The outcome of this election will shape the processes that determine compensation, benefits and working conditions for current and future ...

Opinions

Anthony '22: (Im)Patience in Providence

By Amelia Anthony | November 9

I’ve never been a patient person. I often feel myself rushing: through tests in order to finish faster, through friendships by oversharing very early on, through books to get to the end. This impatience has permeated and defined several aspects of my life, especially my transition to college. I applied ...

Opinions

Allums '21: After November 6th

By Jordan Allums | November 8

In the midst of countless Brown students eagerly mailing their absentee ballots to their home states, the energy surrounding the midterm elections these past few weeks has been palpable. Indeed, this election cycle was distinctive. Since June 2015, when President Trump first announced his presidential ...

Opinions

Cardoso '19: Don’t let the discussion of legacy admission die

By Connor Cardoso | November 8

In a recent community-wide email, Undergraduate Council of Students’ President Shanzé Tahir ’19 announced the creation of a University working group to “critically assess the ways in which Brown admissions can decrease barriers for first-gen and low-income students.” According to the email, ...

Opinions

Casey GS, Lake GS, Lomax GS, Thorsness GS: What we stand to lose from SUGSE’s union

By Christian Casey, Derek Lake, JJ Lomax and Rebecca Thorsness | November 7

Dear graduate student workers, We write in response to the Nov. 5 op-ed “What we stand to gain from unionization,” and to respond more broadly to past claims made by Stand Up for Graduate Student Employees, which misled and divided this community. This is a dissenting opinion of sorts, but let us ...

Opinions

Calvelli '19: Ode to the Sharpe Refectory

By Aidan Calvelli | November 7

College dining halls don’t often make the news. However, as this semester commenced, a nickname controversy catapulted the Sharpe Refectory into the headlines. Should it be the Ratty? (Sure.) The Rodent? (I will not entertain this.) The Sharpe Refectory? (Preach!) The outpouring of feeling and meme-ery ...

Opinions

Editorial: U. must address inequality in its innovation strategic plan

By Editorial Page Board | November 6

In June, the University unveiled the Brown and the Innovation Economy Strategic Plan, an initiative to support economic development and entrepreneurship in Rhode Island. The University aims to promote job creation and innovative commercial activity in the local economy by supporting talent development ...