Columns - The Brown Daily Herald

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Fang ’26: Fighting the first-year flu: Students deserve clear information on dealing with sickness at school

By Juliet Fang | December 5

Over Thanksgiving break, I finally caught the inaugural first-year sickness. On Wednesday, I felt a sore throat coming on. By Thursday, I got a headache, and on Friday, I went through bouts of chills and sweating. A feverish temperature reading at Health Services confirmed my sickness, and I reluctantly ...

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Sender ’25: Sustainable RFPs will ensure a sustainable future

By Gabriel Sender | December 2

Across the nation, a deluge of public works projects are preparing to take advantage of the plentiful infrastructure dollars recently unleashed by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. While cities, counties or states may take the lead in authorizing these projects, it is exceedingly rare to ...

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Bahl ’24: What we really should take away from Elizabeth Holmes

By Anika Bahl | November 29

Less than two weeks ago, we saw the end of a seven-year-long saga of fraud and white-collar crime — entrepreneur Elizabeth Holmes was at last sentenced to 11 years in prison for defrauding investors in her health care technology startup, Theranos. Holmes founded Theranos, a company ...

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Gaber ’23: The holidays can be a difficult time for healthy eating habits

By Yasmeen Gaber | November 28

Those who are struggling with or recovering from eating disorders may find large family meals – which are common during the holiday season – rather daunting due to pressure to over or undereat, as well as the fear of relapse. This holiday season, it is important that we recognize and accept a ...

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Wellisch ’26: The cosmetic industry has benefited from women’s insecurities for too long

By Yael Wellisch | November 23

If you want to succeed in the beauty industry, you can bank on women’s insecurities. Today, the still-growing industry is worth $532 billion globally. The United States has the largest beauty market in the world, and the industry’s monetary success is contingent on the unethical exploitation ...

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Peng ’26: Think twice before embracing a cashless economy

By Christina Peng | November 22

“Cash or card?” We’ve become so accustomed to hearing this question, asking us to pick our preferred payment method. But how would we feel if this commonly asked question suddenly became irrelevant?

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Siddiqui ’24: Brown should subsidize electric scooters, bikes

By Taha Siddiqui | November 22

In 2018, Providence launched its Shared Micromobility Program to improve affordable travel by adding electric scooters and bikes to Providence's streets. Over the last few months, the number of electric bikes and scooters in Providence has increased, with two new companies joining the program in ...

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Fang ’26: This Black Friday, let’s put sustainability first

By Juliet Fang | November 20

With Thanksgiving this week and the holiday season rapidly approaching, my email inbox and social media feeds have been flooded with one thing: Black Friday promotions. The biggest shopping event of the year comes with hefty discounts, crowded stores and late-night Amazon impulse buys. At the same ...

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Slusarewicz ’23: Protect pigeons from unfair punishment

By Megan Slusarewicz | November 18

I’ve felt a strong connection to birds since I was a kid. My parents have always kept bird feeders outside their windows and, as a child with ample free time, I would stare at the feeders for hours, imagining what the birds were thinking. Growing up in large cities, I developed ...

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Sender ’25: In support of taxing Brown

By Gabriel Sender | November 16

Across the country, private universities are generally exempt from federal taxes and are classified as nonprofit institutions, often referred to by the statute that defines them:

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Gaber ’23: Moving can be an emotional trauma

By Yasmeen Gaber | November 14

Since Brown’s student body comes from all 50 states and more than 100 countries, the vast majority of us have experienced the transitional phase of moving to a new place. Some of us come from distant time zones, while others live an hour drive away. No matter the distance, moving from one place ...

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Peng ’26: Productivity culture makes it impossible to relax

By Christina Peng | November 11

Go on YouTube. In the search bar, type “productive college day in my life.” In seconds, you will see hundreds of videos meant to be inspirational: “study diaries | college days in my life, library, productive study vlog,” “an early & productive college day in my life (waking ...

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Siddiqui ’24: What the UK can teach America about unity

By Taha Siddiqui | November 10

Like most people in the U.S., my attention is focused on the results of the midterm elections. This year’s contest was particularly important, as, with results still pouring in, control of the Senate is uncertain. Given these events, my mind can’t help but compare the state of affairs in the ...

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Fang '26: No time to work out? Try exercise snacks instead

By Juliet Fang | November 8

Though I’m technically taking fewer classes at Brown than I did in high school, I’m learning that the classwork rarely ceases. The constant stream of papers, problem sets and preparation for tests mean lots of long hours in my dorm and at the library sitting at my computer. What’s keeping me ...

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Wellisch ’26: Humor is an indispensable social tool, but it’s not accessible to all

By Yael Wellisch | November 7

Your stomach starts cramping and laughter erupts out of you: It’s easy to tell when a joke is good. Humor can be harnessed to diffuse awkward situations, flirt, demonstrate humility, express political opinions or, most importantly, authentically bond with those around you. Humor is undeniably one ...

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Sender ’25: Brown must house students while protecting Providence

By Gabriel Sender | November 3

It is without question that the housing crisis in Providence has reached a breaking point. Local universities are seen as major contributors to this crisis, with Brown as a prime example. Brown squeezes Providence’s housing market in two ways. University students often come from families ...

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Gaber ’23: Why are we 'anti' aging?

By Yasmeen Gaber | October 31

When Taylor Swift’s new album “Midnights” came out over a week ago, some were up in arms about one line in the song “Anti-Hero”: “Sometimes, I feel like everybody is a sexy baby and I’m a monster on the hill.” ...

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Fang ’26: We need to reduce noise pollution

By Juliet Fang | October 27

I grew up in a house directly adjacent to a noisy street. Honking cars, revving engines and shrieking sirens droned in the background constantly. Similarly, here in Providence, modified cars and motorbikes racing through downtown and on Thayer Street is a common weekend occurrence. Sometimes, my ...

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Peng ’26: Literature needs morally gray characters

By Christina Peng | October 26

We love morally gray characters — from Snape in “Harry Potter” to Wanda in Marvel movies, viewers and readers have continually gravitated toward those who seem to do clear moral wrong. But why do we love characters who often do awful things?

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Wellisch ’26: Technology is encroaching on our solitude

By Yael Wellisch | October 24

In an age of hyper-connectivity, we have lost our capacity for solitude. Driving in a car or walking the dog were once moments of solitude. Even air travel was once a valuable block of time during which one could ruminate, cut off from phones and the rest of the world. However, today, ...