Toto, I don’t think we’re in Providence anymore. There’s no Dunkin’ Donuts to greet me in the Paris airport. As I step outside, I can’t help but wonder whether oddly shaped pastries will be the only difference that my newly developed American eye will pick up. Am I still the die-hard European ...
On a foggy day in Providence, I am running in a cloud along the East Bay Bike Path. The wind turbines to the west and Veterans Parkway to the east are obscured by the veil draped over the Providence River. Facing north, our downtown skyline has vaporized. A subtle combination of low temperature and ...
I feel guilty admitting this now, but last semester, when I learned that my parents were planning a trip during the first two weeks of winter break to visit relatives, I had mixed feelings. Yes, I really wanted to see my aunts, uncles and cousins, especially because I feel close to them but don’t ...
Words carry weight and have impact. Our generation’s vocabulary is a significant part of our culture, and everyone contributes. Words have history and baggage that are too often ignored. Meanings of words change, often incredibly slowly, so using a word now can mean that you are implicitly using all ...
Perhaps the quintessential image of a generation lost in technology is a crowd of concert-goers filming the performance on smartphones instead of experiencing the event. Indeed, it is frequently argued that technology distances us from the ever-glorified notion of “living in the moment,” and social ...
I have been feeling emotional pain for the past few days. It has gotten better, and I am confident that everything will be okay soon. But pain has been on my mind, and I will take this opportunity to discuss certain ideas that I have encountered that have helped me cope. Before I begin, I would like ...
On Nov. 19, the University released a draft document entitled “Pathways to Diversity and Inclusion: An Action Plan for Brown University.” Though the plan’s merits have been highly disputed, I give the University my most resounding plaudits for its unparalleled efforts to address every social injustice ...
On Sunday, Nov. 29, Kobe Bryant announced that he would retire from the NBA at the end of this season. Now in his 20th season, Bryant has multiple Finals MVP awards, five championship rings, 17 All-Star selections and a place in the record books as the third-most prolific scorer in the history of the ...
I still have strong feelings about the atrocities that took place in Paris on Nov. 13. To say that I feel deep sadness for the innocent people who have suffered, that I am disgusted and angry because people who claim to share my religion have committed such heinous acts of violence, that I am scared ...
I was just 11 years old when we got our first color TV. I snuck by the doorway of our living room as my parents watched a French reporter standing, a foot deep in blood, sobbing as he described the streets of Srebrenica, a small Muslim city a “Christian” army had just emptied of its Muslim population. I ...
Listening to other students of color discuss their experiences with subtle and overt forms of racism during the past week reminds us that our own feelings of alienation are more broadly shared than we often recognize. As people of color attending a historically white institution, we have experienced ...
Imagine hundreds of students in pitched battle, each trying to outshine the rest of the playing field. Some have advantageous connections; others have hidden weapons. Their only aim: to earn that one coveted spot as victor. No, I’m not describing the plot of “The Hunger Games” or any other piece ...
On Sunday night, Paris was attacked. We all know this by now because we have seen the world mourn for the City of Light. In shows of sympathy and solidarity, major monuments and Facebook profile pictures adopted the colors of the French flag, and the French national anthem, “La Marseillaise,” sounded ...
These days, there’s a pretty simple answer to any question you don’t know the answer to: Google it. Information is more accessible than it has ever been, and, for many reasons, the dissemination of information is one of the most remarkable accomplishments of human civilization to date. But this ...
The series of terrorist attacks that gripped Paris — and the world — in shock on Friday night will not go without its deeper effects on our increasingly globalized world. From all corners of the globe, displays of solidarity, empathy and love have risen in the face of what appears to be a long conflict ...
Night descends upon us much sooner than it used to a few weeks ago, and it’s taking a huge toll on my energy. I am finding it much harder to stay out of my room for much of the day, and I usually feel a yearning to go back to my dorm as soon as I can after classes. I’m not sure what the cause of ...
When I was younger, my mother didn’t let me watch the news. “They only report on the tragedies that happen,” she told me, “and I don’t want you to think that the world is a terrible place.” Indeed, scrolling through headlines online, I am inundated with graphic images of pain, violence and ...
By now we have all had at least one conversation about political correctness at Brown and whether it stifles real dialogue — it’s a topic that frustrates many but never seems to improve. But while many take issue with our inadvertently anti-liberal atmosphere, I take more issue with how Brown students ...
I don’t remember too much of my freshman orientation. It was both four years ago and, well, let’s just leave it at it being four years ago. And yet I have the distinct displeasure of vividly remembering one particular orientation session led by two faculty members, which was attended by what appeared ...
Being a Brown student, one has the opportunity to explore an untold number of resources and events. Because of this, it always troubles me to see students who come to Providence spend four years working on nothing but their academics and graduate having dedicated all of their time to studying. To me, ...
Solutions by The State News
