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Editorials

Opinions

Editorial: Old books and new technology

It is easy to forget that the University Library, occupying multiple locations and offering a staggering array of books as well as computers and study spaces, had humble beginnings. Brown's first president, James Manning, wrote in 1772, "At present we have but about two hundred and fifty volumes and ...


Opinions

Editorial: Textbooks and taxes

It hardly needs to be reiterated that the country is going through tough times and that government bottom lines at every level throughout the nation have been battered by the resulting loss in revenue and increase in welfare expenses. Rhode Island has been particularly hard-hit, with the fourth highest ...


Opinions

Editorial: Fostering community

Earlier this month, The Herald reported that the Office of Residential Life is considering a reorganization of on-campus housing that would concentrate first-year dorms and dining around either Keeney or Pembroke campus. Though these plans are only in the preliminary phase, we applaud this effort to ...


Opinions

Editorial: Keeping sight of Haiti

We, like the rest of the international community, are horrified by the destruction in Japan. Search and rescue teams continue to work around the clock to find missing people while the country deals with emergencies at its nuclear power plants. Just yesterday, the chair of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory ...


Opinions

Editorial: Class conscious

Last February, the ad hoc Organizational Review Committee released its recommendations for how Brown could reduce its budget by $14 million. The committee's charge implied a commitment to cutting out excesses, rather than eliminating services important to students' needs.


Opinions

Editorial: Stomp out the vote

One of the major sources of student unrest during the Vietnam War was this simple injustice — although 18- to 20-year-olds could be forcibly shipped off to fight in a foreign war, the vast majority could not vote at home. In 1971, Congress and the states, recognizing the unfairness of preventing ...


Opinions

Editorial: A Bridge to opportunity

Graduation may still be months away, but it is already a safe bet that few seniors will stay in Rhode Island to begin work. Dan Egan, president of the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island, told The Herald last week that the state retains fewer graduates from Brown than ...


Opinions

Editorial: The practical value of a humanities degree

Last month, a Herald article ("Humanities departments tout practicality," Feb. 24) reported that Brown has maintained a relatively constant number of concentrators in the humanities, even in the face of a decreasing national trend. We find this heartening given the temptation to forsake one's passions ...


Opinions

Editorial: IR is on the right track

International relations is one of the largest concentrations at Brown and by far the biggest without a department. So it is not surprising that a recent change in the concentration's requirements precipitated a widespread brouhaha on campus. Though the revisions include a few minor changes, perhaps ...


Opinions

Editorial: A long way to go

Read one way, the gains the University has made in faculty diversity are remarkable. In less than a decade, the number of racial and ethnic minorities on the faculty has increased by more than 40 percent.


Opinions

URI's safe ride

The Rogue Island Jitney — a proposed shuttle between the University of Rhode Island and bars in Narragansett — is eliciting furious opposition from school administrators and local leaders. The Providence Journal's editorial page indignantly asked Feb. 13, "What were they thinking?" of state ...


Opinions

Editorial: Keeping everyone connected

At the most recent Undergraduate Council of Students meeting, the council evaluated a new initiative that would provide alums with permanent Brown e-mail addresses even after graduation. Jake Heimark '11 conceived the idea and has since started working in collaboration with the Alumni Association, Computing ...


Opinions

Editorial: End prohibition

The coming weeks could bring big changes to Rhode Island's marijuana policy. Not only are state Sen. Joshua Miller, D-Cranston, and Rep. John Edwards, D-Tiverton and Portsmouth, pushing to decriminalize possession of up to one ounce of pot, but the state Department of Health will soon select up to three ...


Opinions

Editorial: Out of the kitchen

Earlier this month, in a letter to the Brown community, President Ruth Simmons announced an increase in budgeted undergraduate enrollment to 6,000 students. At a time when the number of college applicants is growing disproportionately to available spots, particularly at selective universities, we find ...


Opinions

Editorial: Don't lose focus on aid

Last weekend, the Corporation convened. This meeting was especially momentous — in December, the University's seven-year Campaign for Academic Enrichment concluded. President Ruth Simmons announced some impressive figures — the fundraising effort raised $1.61 billion, including $311 million ...


Opinions

Editorial: Clean cuts

By now, most people recognize that the United States' debt is growing at an unsustainable pace. For various reasons, federal deficits and debt have ballooned in recent years. It is clear that Congress will have to make very tough decisions to get the budget back on track.


Opinions

Editorial: 'Trafficking in stereotype'

National newspapers have been giving Brown a few backhanded compliments these past few weeks. The Associated Press released an article Feb. 5, later printed by the Washington Post and other national outlets, on the new Group Independent Study Project this semester called "Modern Conservatism in America." ...


Opinions

Editorial: Thought, yes, delay, no

Governor Lincoln Chafee '75 P'14 elicited concern from charter school supporters when he announced last month that he would take a "thoughtful pause" before expanding the state's charter schools. The governor made waves again earlier this month when he shook up the state's Board of Regents, which helps ...


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