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Delaney '15: Learning to learn

In an age where we find ourselves pressed for time and constantly aim to do a multitude of tasks, we are constantly looking for ways to become more efficient. Our scramble can lead us in many directions. For example, an article written last February by Matt Brundage ’15 (“Stop watching so many ...


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SSDP: On drug culture

Brown is the most rigorous, socially progressive university in the United States. Some form of the notion presumably attracted a sizeable portion of the Brown student body and for good reason: Curiosity and tolerance are solid values upon which to build a school. But is it true? Maybe we are better ...


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Enriquez '16: A turn of phrase

They say curiosity killed the cat. Let’s be more concrete. Before democracy became the bee’s knees and freedom of speech became a protected right, curiosity killed the heretic. It’s a little less appealing to say it that way, and it definitely would be harder to explain to a child, but this is ...


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Brooks '13, Au '14, Ramadan '13, Holguin '13, Ooi '14 and Seyler '15: Facing the UFB’s dysfunction

The marketization of higher education has eroded the liberal arts curriculum at universities across the nation, and Brown is no exception. Student publications and arts groups stand as bulwarks against the creeping pre-professionalization of the University. They vigilantly steward this campus’ public ...


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Shaw '13: Should the Utah Jazz make it into NBA playoffs?

With the NBA regular season winding down and the MLB still in the “there’s 150 more games” phase, this weekend’s biggest story was Kobe Bryant tearing his Achilles tendon in a much-needed win against the Golden State Warriors. The Lakers are barely ahead of the Utah Jazz in the race for the ...


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Paxson: Next steps in the consideration of divestment

This year, the student group Brown Divest Coal requested that the University divest from a group of companies that either mine or burn coal for the production of power. The actions of Brown Divest Coal are part of a larger national movement aimed at encouraging universities and colleges to divest from ...


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Powers '15: On abortion

Abortion is the destruction of an entity. Yet this simplistic depiction does little to expose the underlying reasoning necessary to decide upon the moral permissibility of abortion. What can be exterminated safely without moral impact, and what should we be careful to preserve? Characteristics specific ...


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McCoy '14: A brave new world — Sports in the Twitterverse

The sporting world witnessed what was one of the most exciting NCAA championship games in recent memory on Monday night, as Louisville, the number one overall seed, narrowly ousted Michigan and national player of the year Trey Burke. The game had everything — from a duel between upstart sharpshooters ...


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Sabermetrics: Rethinking pitching statistics

It’s the first thing the announcer says when the pitcher takes the mound. “Justin Masterson went 11-15 last season,” or “Justin Verlander has 17 wins on the year.” For more than a century, wins and losses have been the first indicators most fans look to when they argue the merits of different ...


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Dorman '16: Dear Suzy Lee Weiss

Had you put half the focus you did in your Wall Street Journal opinion column into your high school career and college applications, maybe you would have had a fighting chance in the college admission process. In fact, many have pointed out that this would make one hell of a satire piece, if only you ...


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Husted '13: Avoiding the 'balance trap'

As I was reading The Herald during the time of gun control controversy, a seemingly innocuous letter caught my eye. Evan Stern ’16 wrote in to express his approval of Andrew Powers’ ’15 column (“Common-sense gun control,” Feb. 4). Stern said he found The Herald’s coverage of gun control ...


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Romero '14: Sensitivity in contemporary times

I remember a peculiar moment in my first year at Brown during the Third World Transition Program, the pre-orientation event run by the Third World Center, which effectively and powerfully introduces topics related to social oppression. One of the Minority Peer Counselors talked casually to me and a ...


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Asher 15: When we talk about immigration reform

According to family folklore, in 1914 my great-grandmother Eva Gilman — referred to as “Bubbe,” the Yiddish word for grandma — caught the last ship out of the port of Vilnius in Lithuania before World War I broke out. Whether or not it was, in fact, the last ship is impossible to tell, but we ...


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Moffat '13: Venezuelans deserve more respect from U.S.

I’ve never claimed to be anything of an expert on Venezuela or Latin America. But lately I have been fascinated by the polarized reaction to the death of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. His critics have characterized his legacy as one of authoritarianism, corruption and rebelliousness. But ...


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Corvese '15: Who wins the admissions game?

“To (All) The Colleges That Rejected Me,” a March 29 Wall Street Journal op-ed by Pittsburgh high school senior Suzy Lee Weiss is swiftly making the rounds and gaining great notoriety. “Colleges tell you, ‘Just be yourself,’” she proclaims. “That is great advice, as long as yourself has ...


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Toomey '15: Beneath the gray matter

It’s just another bright, cold day, and you decide to put on an extra sweater before heading downstairs in the morning. After searching for the one that was lying on your bed and finding that you’re already wearing it, you slowly make your way out the door and come to an immediate halt at the top ...


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Douglas '13: A message to Paxson about CES

“Universities should not merely train students who can survive and prosper in the world as it is. Instead, we should educate students who will change the world for the better.” This quote is from President Christina Paxson’s March 18 address at George Washington University, during which she spoke ...


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