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Editorials

Opinions

Editorial: A day off, not a day on

Last Monday, a motley crew of kooks and food vendors, watched by a handful of bemused students, gathered on the Main Green to protest the University's renaming of Columbus Day as Fall Weekend. The congregation was heralded by an ingeniously postmodern flier campaign that omitted outmoded, deterministic ...


Opinions

Editorial: Fight for their right

We don't generally have a high opinion of harsh underage drinking laws. Students under 21 have, and always will, get away with flouting them, and harsh penalties for this behavior can have disastrous consequences. Arrests for even minor infractions can destroy students' chances of being admitted to ...


Opinions

Editorial: Effect on target

Brown's administration, like any other, has its successes and its failures, and it deserves to be congratulated for the creation and continued improvement of the Target of Opportunity hiring program.


Opinions

Editorial: Book smarts

Cooler weather and midterms signal that the fall semester is now well underway. As students' memories of a hectic shopping period and expensive textbook purchases start to fade, we would like to remind faculty members of an important matter of principle: No Brown professor should profit from the book ...


Opinions

Editorial: Scaling back

There is no question that Brown could use more money. Over the past several weeks, The Herald has reported huge losses in the endowment, suspension of scholarships and the removal of academic support programs. But regardless of the financial state of the University, the chance to save money is no excuse ...


Opinions

Reviving study abroad

This fall the number of Brown students studying abroad sunk to 199, down from 220 last fall. The University reported a more pronounced decrease in study abroad figures for the spring — 268 students went abroad last semester compared with 366 in the spring of 2008. In light of the downward trend, ...


Opinions

Editorial: Track to the future

A new project to help revitalize Providence is in the works, and we have a chance to be a part of it. Next month, the Metro Transit Study Working Group will announce a proposal for a streetcar system to augment the existing public transportation routes in central Providence. The group's conclusions ...


Opinions

Editorial: Assisting assistants

It is unfortunate that only two of 200 undergraduate TAs attended the first installment of a four-part workshop series recently organized by the Office of the Dean of the College in conjunction with the Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning. The Herald reported Thursday that the optional workshops ...


Opinions

Editorial: The cannabis question

Once again, Rhode Island is wading into muddy waters. In May the General Assembly approved a law mandating that the health department establish privately run medical cannabis dispensaries; the first is scheduled to open next year. Rhode Island would be only the third state to enact such a law, and it ...


Opinions

Editorial: Placing the memorial

Two years ago, the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Justice recommended that the University build a public memorial to commemorate Brown and Rhode Island's ties to the slave trade. The Herald reported Friday that the University's Public Arts Committee is considering placing the memorial ...


Opinions

Editorial: Animal wrongs?

Anyone who walks by the Main Green this week during the day is likely to be confronted by a slew of blown-up photographs depicting the graphic details of violence done to animals. These images are juxtaposed with shots of similar types of harm being done to people in the context of famous historical ...


Opinions

Editorial: Teaching and tenure

Cutting-edge research and first-rate teaching are the foundations of any university. But the two don't always come together. A brilliant professor is not always a brilliant teacher— the best scholars can leave students confused, frustrated or falling asleep during lectures. Unfortunately, these ...


Opinions

Editorial: A new hope

An encouraging new force has emerged in local politics. Last month, the Moderate Party of Rhode Island received official certification after turning in over 30,000 supporters' signatures, well beyond the required 23,500. The party's ambitious short-term goal is to put forward a candidate for the governorship ...


Opinions

Editorial: Far from the tree

The political firestorm surrounding the group known as ACORN came to a head last week when both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to cut off federal funding for the organization. ACORN (which stands for the Association of Community Organizers for Reform Now) faced ...


Opinions

Editorial: A better Banner

Banner's critics usually moan about its appearance and its restrictions on course signups. It's a tribute to Banner's effectiveness, or perhaps its unsightliness, that the most common complaints are aesthetic. These grievances are a little misdirected: Students have usually been able to find courses ...


Opinions

Editorial: Questions for Mr. Musharraf

Tonight's speech by former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf is an opportunity. Musharraf, who came to power in a coup in 1999 and held on to power until his resignation amidst impeachment threats in 2008, is one of the most significant and controversial figures in contemporary international politics. ...


Opinions

Editorial: Chinua Achebe is not one book

Despite what your high school English teachers may have led you to believe, he's more than just "Things Fall Apart." He's a poet and an essayist, a national hero and a Man Booker Prize winner. More importantly, though, he's a teacher. In 1965, Chinua Achebe wrote an essay in which he outlines the relationship ...


Opinions

Editorial: First-years first

The University has been planning a new residence hall since 2007, and administrators told The Herald this week that they plan to move forward with construction sometime in the next five years. Residential life at Brown is in great need of attention, and we are happy that the University has made housing ...


Opinions

Editorial: The other Watson

This fall, Michael Kennedy, formerly a sociology professor at the University of Michigan, takes over as the director of the Watson Institute for International Studies. The previous director, David Kennedy '76, resigned this summer after overseeing the Institute on an interim basis for just over a year. ...


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