Columns

Norris-LeBlanc '13: Rape happens here, too

Lattanzi-Silveus '14: The monopolization of economics

Economics as it is taught today makes for a very odd social science. In political science, international relations and sociology one studies many different schools of thought. Economics is unique among the social sciences in that it has only one theoretical framework, only one way of understanding how ...

BIRC and BSJP: The real unsavory alliance

Last month, Zach Ingber '15 criticized the collaboration between two student groups on campus over an Immigration Week "fence" installation ("An unsavory alliance," Oct. 31). Ingber argued that the alliance between Brown Immigrant Rights Coalition and Brown Students for Justice in Palestine was detrimental ...

Drechsler '15: Think of the children!

When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie teamed up with President Obama to manage the crisis wrought by Superstorm Sandy on New Jersey's shoreline, it was heralded as a prime example of bipartisanship. Indeed, it seems "bipartisanship" has become the buzzword of the day, associated with a pragmatic and commendable ...

Carty '15: Men, manliness and manumission

For centuries and millennia of American and world history, women were commanded by constructs of patriarchy and concepts of femininity that were as oppressive as they were built on bullshit. In the 19th century, the tide began to turn as feminists asserted the belief, long held, that the content of ...

Brundage '15: Brown's bigger elitist problem

Earlier this month, Adam Asher '15 suggested that a sign on Pembroke campus addressed to construction workers is indicative of our condescending attitude toward the working class and that this is a big part of Brown's elitist problem ("Brown's elitist problem," Nov. 7). Among other rules, the sign states: ...

Rosenbloom '13: In defense of affirmative action

Independently of the legal issues at stake in the Supreme Court's affirmative action case, we must examine the benefits that Brown gains from race-based affirmative action. Brown is a private university, and so it will always have more freedom to implement race-based admissions policies than do public ...

Hudson '14: To my outraged readers

Last week, I wrote a column about universal suffrage that provoked campus-wide outrage ("Universal suffrage is immoral," Nov. 13). I have not read enough of the comments to determine if more people believe I am Mussolini or Stalin - Hitler was thrown in a few times for good measure. Some responses from ...

Ingber '15: Rebuttal

Sola '14: America should stop supporting Israel

Sola '14: Rebuttal

Ingber '15: America should support Israel

America's strong support of Israel both reinforces our core values and furthers our strategic interests - a rare combination in international politics. By supporting the only true democracy in the region, we endorse fundamental values such as gender equality and representative government while also ...

Romero '14: Creating safe spaces at Brown

"Write something that someone might disagree with. What's the point of making an argument when you don't have anything to push against?"

Black '12: Suffrage and ownership

As an alum, my engagement with the opinions page has been limited. But this week, Oliver Hudson '14 argued for an unpopular view - only taxpayers should vote ("Universal suffrage is immoral," Nov. 13). My Facebook feed was full of angry students decrying the classism embodied in Hudson's claim.

Katz '14: What we need to tell prospective students

Ferris '13 and Schwartz '13: Universal suffrage is definitely moral

In the column "Universal suffrage is immoral" by Oliver Hudson '14, Hudson proposes a system in which, "the weight of a person's vote should be proportional to the fraction of total revenue he contributes to the government." We think this is a bad idea.

Hudson '14: Universal suffrage is immoral

In the United States, any citizen who is at least 18 years old and not a convicted felon has the right to vote. Most of us accept and celebrate our universal suffrage. But is it a good idea? In my view, no. Not every adult U.S. citizen should have the right to vote. Instead, only those who pay taxes ...

Vehse '83: A secular blessing of the American way of life

One of the most memorable figures from my time at Brown was then University Chaplain Charles Adams Baldwin. "Chaplain Charlie," as we called him with affectionate irony, offered counseling, conducted discussion groups and hosted dinners for students in his home, among other important campus activities. ...

Gianotti '13: How to default on the University arms race

In 1880 Lincoln Field was just a swamp. Over 130 years later, Augustus has conquered it, and it is now central to our campus, serving thousands of students every year. Brown is growing and always has been. Just in the next few years, for instance, the University will continue to creep its way up Thayer ...

Drechsler '15: Throwing a bone to finance

Coming into the 2012 elections, Republican nominee Mitt Romney most likely expected his success to be one of his strongest assets. He probably did not expect that his experience would one day become part of his greatest vulnerability, wrapped up in an ill-judged statement about the "47 percent" and ...