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Editorials

Opinions

Editorial: What's in a name?

Last year, Gov. Lincoln Chafee ’75 P’14 P’17 was labeled a Grinch and spawned multiple self-congratulatory Fox News segments after insisting the evergreen in the Statehouse be called a “holiday” tree. This year, seeking to minimize the fallout from the non-existent, so-called “War on Christmas,” ...


Opinions

Editorial: Semesters off can prove rewarding pathway

Many Brown students graduate with a “.5” at the end of their years — a figure signifying that they have taken a non-traditional route in college. So-called “.5-ers” may have transferred from another institution, decided to graduate early or late or taken time off to explore other pursuits. ...


Opinions

Editorial: Sunlight on 38 Studios

Former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis once remarked that “sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants,” and Rhode Island is certainly in need of care as the wound that is the 38 Studios debacle remains open. The state lent $75 million to the now bankrupt video game company led by former ...


Opinions

Editorial: What we're thankful for

Bagels, Brown University Shuttle OnCall, the Creperie, Alice, the 124th Editorial Board, Juan Tien T. Juan, Phelan Huan Twanteetoo, Sven Twintee, Helen Gurley Brown, Trader Joe’s, Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Groverina. “Mean Girls,” Blue State, popcorn, pumpkin, Meeting Street Cafe, sports editors, ...


Opinions

Editorial: Give the Common App a chance

This year, the Common Application — an organization that standardizes the college admission process for Brown and over 500 schools — introduced its new system, CA4. Unfortunately, this rollout has been characterized by technical difficulties, leaving frustrated students struggling to meet admission ...


Opinions

Editorial: Don’t ignore sophomores

One of the benefits of Brown is the degree of freedom with which students are entrusted to design their educations. The Open Curriculum is, of course, a major component of this autonomy, and the ability to craft independent studies and concentrations also allows our school to stand out in its educational ...


Opinions

Editorial: When college admission gets too personal

Over the past several weeks, a number of reports and articles have investigated the extent to which college admission officers consider social media activity when evaluating applicants. The results generally indicate that, while not all colleges or admission officers check out their applicants’ Tweets ...


Opinions

Editorial: The function of the University

Though the University has recently found itself swarmed in a discourse over free speech and open discourse, this campus conversation has hardly opened novel issues. Brown and its peers have been grappling with the question of appropriate speech for decades, and President Christina Paxson is one in a ...


Opinions

Editorial: CS growth necessitates increase in resources

On a typical weekday at the Center for Information Technology, hordes of students can be spotted waiting patiently for a turn to access a computer science undergraduate teaching assistant. As recently reported in The Herald, increased enrollment in computer science courses has overwhelmed the University’s ...


Opinions

Editorial: Why universities still matter

Reports of the death of the university in general — and these days, the University, specifically — are greatly exaggerated. We often read predictions of higher education’s decline — hyperbolic prophecies of a future dominated by massive online open courses, flipped classrooms and distance-based ...


Opinions

Editorial: Preserving the core of Brown

This past week, The Herald has run a four-part series — “Launching a Legacy?” — exploring the influences shaping President Christina Paxson’s recently approved strategic plan and how the plan, entitled “Building on Distinction: A New Plan for Brown,” will affect the University’s trajectory ...


Opinions

Editorial: Rationalizing the divestment decision

Students at Brown are quick to support a cause, and their plea for coal divestment is no exception. On Oct. 27, President Christina Paxson wrote an email informing the Brown community that the Corporation would not divest the University’s endowment from major coal companies. “The existence of social ...


Opinions

Editorial: Disappointment with divestment decision

Last Sunday, President Christina Paxson informed the Brown community of the Corporation’s decision not to divest the University’s endowment from its holdings in large coal companies. Many were disappointed, given the strength and energy of the campaign by student activist group Brown Divest Coal ...


Opinions

Editorial: The way we were

Memories of the specifics of Ruth Simmons’ presidency are quickly fading, replaced by a larger-than-life mystique. At this point, Simmons is perhaps best known for her prodigious fundraising and sky-high approval ratings, but few may remember that she arrived on campus after a controversial free speech ...


Opinions

Editorial: Silencing the wrong voices

Yesterday, as almost the entire community is aware, New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly was scheduled to give the Noah Krieger ’93 Memorial Lecture — a privately funded lecture sponsored by the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions. The lecture was abruptly cancelled ...


Opinions

Editorial: Let Kelly speak — and respond

This Tuesday, the Taubman Center for Public Policy and American Institutions is hosting Raymond Kelly, the New York City Police Commissioner known for the controversial stop-and-frisk policy, for its Noah Krieger ’93 Memorial Lecture. The lecture is entitled “Proactive Policing in America’s Biggest ...



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