Today’s paper marks The Brown Daily Herald’s first print issue since we lost two cherished members of our community, Ella Cook ’28 and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov ’29. This is also our first print edition as the 136th Editorial Board.
Four days after we began our tenure, horror unfolded on campus: On Dec. 13, a gunman walked into Barus and Holley Room 166 and opened fire. Covering the mass shooting presented a profound challenge: How do we report on a tragedy that we, as students, are living through ourselves?
In our reporting, we have worked to shed light on the innumerable ways community members have experienced this violence and its fallout. We also understand our responsibility to create a record that documents what was, and continues to be, an unimaginably painful and pivotal moment in the University’s history.
We are deeply grateful to our staff for the care, stamina and professionalism they brought to this work, particularly over the winter break. As a teaching organization, The Herald is committed to supporting and mentoring the student journalists on our staff. Navigating this responsibility, especially under such devastating, extraordinary circumstances, has profoundly shaped the way we approach our work.
This work begins with ensuring that our staff represents the diversity and vibrancy Brown has to offer. We are committed to cultivating an inclusive environment where every student who enters The Herald’s office feels welcome.
Now that we are back in the newsroom, we will continue fostering the supportive culture that enables our staff to do our best work. We will closely follow the other ongoing developments across campus and beyond: budget and funding challenges at Brown, the impact of the Trump administration’s attacks on higher education, housing and cost-of-living pressures, immigration enforcement activity in Providence and this fall’s upcoming elections.
After a tumultuous year of threats to Brown’s federal research funds, our Science & Research section will house stories tracking the increasing politicization of science and, as always, the groundbreaking studies conducted by Brown researchers. Following the opening of the Penner Field House, our Sports staff can’t wait to report on the next era of sports and recreation at Brown. Our Arts & Culture team is ready to cover the events that bring color to Brown, from Spring Weekend to Gigs on the Green.
We are grateful for The Herald’s readers on and off campus, and we are excited to continue ushering The Herald into the era of digital journalism, using data-and website-driven projects to find new ways to tell campus stories. We hope that our website and app serve you as we develop new features and think about how we can engage our readers creatively — we’re particularly excited about the mini crossword and our interactive data projects. We’re also eager to expand our multimedia reporting — integrating engaging videos and photographs to bring our stories to life.
The Herald exists because of the students who sustain it, both those who are on our staff and those who entrust us with their stories.
If there are any stories you believe The Herald should be covering, reach out to us at herald@browndailyherald.com. We strive to develop coverage that engages our readers in an informative and thoughtful manner.
Editors’ notes are written by The Herald’s 136th Editorial Board: Cate Latimer ’27, Ciara Meyer ’27, Elise Haulund ’27, Claire Song ’27, Hadley Carr ’27, Paul Hudes ’27 and Max Robinson ’26.5.
