Editorials - The Brown Daily Herald

Opinions

Dissent: Rent stabilization will not fix Providence’s housing crisis

By Avery Kaak , Beatriz Lindemann, Isabella Gardiner, Ethan Canfield and Tasawwar Rahman | February 13

The editorial page board has identified the obvious: Providence faces a cost-of-living crisis that is harming working and middle-class families. They have aptly noted that the state places last in new housing development, and have commended the City Council’s push for rent stabilization as a way out ...

Black and white photo of a brick apartment building and stop light.

Opinions

Editorial: Providence’s housing crisis demands the immediate action proposed by the rent stabilization ordinance

By Editorial Page Board | February 13

Currently, Providence residents are struggling to afford their rent. When our city is faced with a problem as severe as unaffordable housing, political action which aims to protect citizens’ ability to stay in their homes ought to be encouraged. On Jan. 22, a majority of the Providence City Council ...

Photo of a red brick building in between two large trees.

Opinions

Editorial: Brown’s workforce development grants are an opportunity to invest in the future of R.I. education

By Editorial Page Board | February 6

Last week, Brown announced the distribution of the first $3 million of the $50 million in workforce development grants the University agreed to pay in its July agreement with the federal government. $1.5 million of the initial grants will go toward the Community College of Rhode Island to increase the ...

Opinions

Editorial: Now is the time to overhaul Brown’s building access system

By Editorial Page Board | January 30

In the wake of the Dec. 13 shooting, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 announced a number of security upgrades that would be implemented across campus. These changes include installing card readers in buildings that previously used physical locks and keys, requiring students to swipe their ...

Photo of a black Brown card-swipe reader with a red light against a silver wall background.

Opinions

Editorial: After Dec. 13, Brown must confront its public safety failures

By Editorial Page Board | January 23

After the murder of two of our classmates, Ella Cook ’28 and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov ’29, and the injury of nine others, Brunonians rushed to leave campus. Just over one month later, as we return to College Hill, the University we love is not the same without Umurzokov and Cook. This semester will ...

Photo of a blue vertical sign which reads "POLICE" in capital letters, with a building and a police car visible in the background.

Opinions

Editorial: Brown and RISD should pursue deeper integration

By Editorial Page Board | December 5

As neighbors on College Hill, Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design are natural partners for collaboration. Brown is a leading Ivy League research university, and RISD is the nation’s premier art school. Capitalizing on these strengths, our universities share an undergraduate dual-degree program, ...

Opinions

Editorial: When it comes to the changes to program housing, the University’s agreement with the federal government cannot be ignored

By Editorial Page Board | November 21

In July, the University entered a voluntary resolution with the Trump Administration to settle civil-rights investigations and restore federal funding. With over $500 million in contracts and grants at stake, we supported this settlement, viewing it as an effective balance between maintaining the University’s ...

Opinions

Editorial: Brown must oppose the Providence Student Impact Fee

By Editorial Page Board | November 14

Providence was recently ranked the least affordable city for renters in America. To address the cost-of-living crisis, the Providence City Council plans to embark on an ambitious housing and affordability agenda. One proposal on the table is a Student Impact Fee, which would require college students ...

Aerial photo of College Hill viewed from Fox Point, with houses and University buildings scattered among green trees.

Opinions

Editorial: A weeklong Thanksgiving break is something we’d be thankful for

By Editorial Page Board | November 6

Situated between the chaos of midterms and the impending stress of finals, Thanksgiving offers a coveted opportunity for Brunonians to visit loved ones and take time off from our campus commitments. But Brown’s academic calendar provides only three days off during the week of Thanksgiving. Although ...

Photo of a student walking across the Main Green towards Sayles Hall.

Opinions

Editorial: DPS mismanagement is a threat to public safety

By Editorial Page Board | October 30

Earlier this year, officers described the work culture of Brown’s Department of Public Safety as “toxic” and “dangerous.” After two recent votes of no confidence from both the Brown University Police Sergeants Union and the Brown University Security Patrolperson’s Association, it is clear ...

Photo of Brown Department of Public Safety.

Opinions

Editorial: In a time of uncertainty, Brown’s Nobel Prize and MacArthur Grant should motivate University researchers

By Editorial Page Board | October 23

While research funding is under political scrutiny, the world needs reminding of what scholarship can achieve. Brown received two such reminders this month with the announcements that Professor Emeritus of Economics Peter Howitt won a Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences and Professor of International ...

Opinions

Editorial: Paxson’s rejection of the compact is a win for Brown and America

By Editorial Page Board | October 15

After two weeks of community input, faculty meetings and deliberation, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 has rejected an invitation to join the federal government’s “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” The decision avoids dire consequences for the future of the University ...

Opinions

Editorial: Trump’s compact is a bridge too far

By Editorial Page Board | October 9

On Oct. 1, the Trump administration invited Brown and eight other universities to sign a “Compact for Academic Excellence in Higher Education.” Contained in this invitation is a shakedown: Give up meaningful say in matters of administration, admissions, finances and academic freedom, and in return, ...

Opinions

Editorial: A man was detained by federal agents outside of the Rock — here’s what you can do

By Editorial Page Board | September 29

Last Tuesday morning, a member of this editorial page board was studying in the quiet of the John D. Rockefeller Library’s basement. Through the west-facing glass wall, what should have been an ordinary morning gave way to an extraordinary sight: masked federal agents detaining a man with his son ...

Opinions

Dissent: Thayer isn’t ours to silence

By CJ Lair and Meher Sandhu | September 25

On any given weekend night, Thayer Street transforms into a gathering space for Rhode Islanders. Motorcycles roar past tricked-out cars, and music spills out onto the sidewalk outside a new food spot. Families line up for late-night falafel from East Side Pockets, kids chase each other between tables ...

Photo of Thayer Street at night with a bus approaching.

Opinions

Editorial: Brown students need quiet too

By Editorial Page Board | September 25

From the New York Times to local news stations to The Herald, much discussion in the last few years has centered around noise in Providence. Hearing motorcyclists revving their engines and lifted vehicles blasting music has become a hallmark of the Brown experience. But should it be?

Photo of a motorcycle parked next to a white car on Thayer Street.

Opinions

Editorial: Brown must foster AI literacy

By Editorial Page Board | September 18

Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize the way we work, learn and live our daily lives at a scale not seen since the Industrial Revolution. In the past year, Brown has taken numerous steps to advance the University’s preparation for this new era. Last December, the University announced ...

Opinions

Editorial: Brown must step in to save the Critical Review

By Editorial Page Board | September 11

As students decide between Brown’s nearly 1,400 course offerings this shopping period, one obstacle remains constant — a dearth of Critical Reviews.

EdPage_CritReviewEditorial__ CO_KatharineKnowles.jpeg

Opinions

Dissent: Brown’s deal with Trump is appeasement, not pragmatism

By Paul Hudes | August 5

My colleagues on the editorial page board have described Brown’s agreement with the Trump administration as a “win” for pragmatism and preservation, on the basis that Brown has “traded little in exchange for the restoration of its research funding.” This outlook mirrors the framing offered ...

Students line up outside the Salomon Center for Learning on a bright spring day.

Opinions

Editorial: In its fight against the Trump administration, Brown prevails

By Editorial Page Board | August 5

Almost four months after the Trump administration announced plans to cut more than half a billion dollars in Brown’s federal research funding, the University has reached an agreement with the government to restore funding and eligibility for future awards.

A photo of the Main Green with University Hall in the background on a cloudy day.