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Cardoso ’19: Dear Swearer

To many community members, the Swearer Center for Public Service — home to over 100 student-run community programs — is probably among the lesser-known parts of the University, but its relative obscurity might belie the sweeping implications of its recent reorientation. Last year, the Swearer Center ...

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Opinions

Jacobs ’18: Empty language poisons political discourse

Political discourse has a language problem. Though it’s easier than ever to share ideas and engage in conversation, almost any prolonged discussion about national or global issues will involve some semantic ambiguity and misunderstanding. This is a result of both the newfound ease of sharing language ...


Opinions

Krishnamurthy '19: Better elections for a better UCS

Late last month, the Undergraduate Council of Students announced the winners of its annual elections. The results were a startling indictment of student-directed democracy at Brown. Five UCS races — for the positions of president, vice president, chair of student activities, chair of student wellness ...


Opinions

Klein ’20: How to fix the NBA’s losing problem

At the end of every NBA season, the inevitable discussion surrounding the tactic of “tanking” emerges. For those who are unaware, NBA teams with no hope of reaching the playoffs “tank” — lose games on purpose — in order to secure a better position in the NBA draft lottery. The flawed lottery ...

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Opinions

Savello '18: Remembering values while abroad

Before I left to study abroad in Granada, Spain, the Office of International Programs stressed the social and cultural differences that exist overseas. At the time, I figured the most significant differences I would observe would be regional holidays and specific dialects, which I could quickly learn ...


Opinions

Kumar '17: In remembrance

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer shocked the country Tuesday by downplaying Hitler’s use of chemical weapons during the Holocaust and referring to Nazi concentration camps as “Holocaust centers.” Though he later attempted to backtrack on his comments, it is disconcerting to hear the official ...


Opinions

Bornstein ’18: Don’t honk if you support equality

“Eat a hamburger!” “You girls just made my day!” “Put a shirt on, pervert!” “I can see your cootch through your shorts!” These remarks and many more salacious ones have been directed at me and my teammates on the women’s cross-country team — often accompanied by wolf whistles, honking ...


Opinions

Cardoso ’19: The precarious state of Brazilian democracy

This past week, Eduardo da Cunha, the former president of Brazil’s Chamber of Deputies — the lower house of its national legislature — was sentenced to 15 years in prison after he was convicted on corruption charges relating to his involvement in Brazil’s gargantuan grafting scandal, Operation ...


Opinions

Johnson ’19: A more diverse Spring Weekend

Last Spring Weekend, the entire Main Green grumbled of lip syncing and poor vocals. Fetty Wap disappointed students who needed a solid chorus to stabilize their swaying mass. This year, we can hope for stronger performances. But our student body, even in its spring stupor, craves more than just musical ...


Opinions

Miller '19: When politics are in (Teen) Vogue

The bright magentas, canary yellows and cerulean blues that line the pages of Teen Vogue present a glossy tableau of the latest in fashion, color and style. Yet, Vogue’s younger sibling has begun to emerge from its cocoon of teen bliss. Since 2016, two new monochrome colors have spread over its pages. ...


Opinions

Schapiro ’19: Give Opening Day its due

A few years ago, Budweiser began promoting a White House petition aimed at making Major League Baseball’s Opening Day a national holiday. After it surpassed the requisite 100,000 signatures a few days before the deadline, it was considered by the Obama White House. I was a signatory, so I received ...


Opinions

Richardson '20: Pinpointing procrastination

According to my friends, I was nowhere to be found first semester and practically non-existent up until this point in second semester. No group work. No kickbacks. No parties. No drama. Apparently, when we returned from spring break, they were downright shocked to see me. I was the epitome of the student ...


Opinions

Okin '19: Words matter

I have always considered myself a champion of the importance of language. That stringing letters into a meaningful order can empower movements and fuel real-world change does nothing short of mystify me. I can typically be found declaring the power of the written word to any unlucky friend, relative ...


Opinions

Vilsan ’19: Why we need the EU

A recent article published by the Economist paints a bleak picture of the future of the European Union: Upcoming elections in the member states have the potential of reversing the freedoms EU citizens have enjoyed for six decades, and the economic climate in Europe isn’t much of a pick-me-up. Reading ...


Opinions

Krishnamurthy '19: At war with climate change

It isn’t often that environmentalists cheer the views of Trump administration officials on climate change. Yet, that’s exactly what happened when, earlier this month, Secretary of Defense James Mattis revealed that he does not share President Trump’s climate skepticism. As ProPublica reported, ...


Opinions

Smith GS: Turning down the cacophony

Up until a few years ago, I began each day by reading the newspaper over morning coffee. It was a ritual I looked forward to — a pleasurable, orienting experience that left me feeling comfortable and ready to embrace the day. But these days, I do not feel this way at all when I open my laptop in Blue ...


Opinions

Steinman '19: Strangers in the Land of Egypt

As we near Passover next Monday, I am reminded of a story told each year about five rabbis living in Roman times. After the traditional Passover meal, they are said to have sat up all night recounting the story of Exodus: How the Israelites were kept as slaves in Egypt, how God cursed the Egyptians ...


Opinions

Colby '20: Stop overvaluing Brown athletics

Brown’s relative underinvestment in athletics represents what is both sensible and proper for such an institution. Overinvestment in sports and the selective manipulation of admission criteria by peer institutions for the purpose of increasing overall athletic success has distorted the weight top-tier ...


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