Metro - The Brown Daily Herald

University News

‘If we don’t start taking care of each other, no one will’: how women started a movement that redefined how Brown handles sexual assault

By Caelyn Pender | March 18

In October 1990, a list of names appeared on the bathroom walls of the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Library. With growing concerns about the University’s inaction on sexual assault — Brown had been consistently unresponsive to criticisms about how it handled sexual assault allegations — women took ...

University News

Annie Smith Peck: the Brown student who should have been, but never was

By Benjamin Pollard | March 18

When Annie Smith Peck submitted her application to the University in 1874 — the first woman to do so — she received a curt response from President Ezekiel Robinson. “Women are not encouraged to seek higher education,” he wrote, according to Peck’s biographer Hannah Kimberley. Later writing ...

Metro

R.I. Gov. McKee loosens COVID-19 restrictions on businesses, encourages following guidelines

By Victoria Yin | March 18

Just ten days into his term, Gov. Dan McKee announced an “incremental advancement” plan to lift COVID-19 restrictions on businesses at a March 12 press briefing. The governor emphasized the importance of discipline and adherence to public health guidelines in safely opening the economy. “We really ...

University News

Students reflect on involvement with community outreach, mutual aid organizations during pandemic

By Jack Walker | March 18

From the onset of the pandemic, communities across the country have navigated financial crises alongside unprecedented public health concerns. The Providence community is no exception and has depended on the work of direct outreach and mutual aid funds to stay afloat, with local activists using their ...

University News

Court rules University students will not get tuition refund for spring 2020

By Will Kubzansky | March 18

University students do not have the right to a tuition refund from the spring semester of 2020, a federal court in Rhode Island ruled earlier this month. Chief Judge John J. McConnell Jr. ’80, who sits on the U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, ruled in favor of the University’s motion to dismiss ...

Metro

R.I. Attorney General, U. sign new agreement to clarify hate crime reporting procedures

By Corey Gelb-Bicknell | March 17

The University signed an agreement with Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Neronha in February to update its hate crime reporting process. The agreement is a response to a review from Neronha’s office that found the University had failed to report alleged hate crimes to the Rhode Island State ...

University News

New online reporting form allows students to report sexual harassment anonymously

By Karlos Bautista | March 17

The Title IX Office introduced a new method of reporting incidents of sexual harassment, sexual violence or gender-based discrimination on its website Dec. 10, 2020. The online Sexual Violence and Gender-Harassment Incident Reporting Form aims to provide an easy mechanism to report incidents, Title ...

University News

UCS proposes new internal TRUE executive position, discusses endorsing space for Brown Esports

By Shilpa Sajja | March 17

The Undergraduate Council of Students discussed a proposal to establish a new internal executive position overseeing transfer and resumed undergraduate education affairs, heard a presentation by Brown Esports and introduced a proposal to endorse a student group referendum about maintaining accessibility ...

University News

Virtual panel discusses technology in policing

By Katy Pickens | March 17

“When we analyze technologies of any sort, but especially those of policing, we should really ask whose imagination and utopia is being manifested,” said Cierra Robson, associate director of the Ida B. Wells JUST Data Lab and doctoral student at Harvard, during a panel titled “Policing and Technology” ...

University News

Large social gatherings among U. students spark controversy, calls to action

By Maisie Newbury | March 16

Following rumors of at least one large social gathering off campus the weekend of Feb. 19 and a subsequent spike in reported COVID-19 cases among the student body, community members have expressed concern and called for the University to hold responsible parties accountable. One student, who requested ...

Metro

Students receive COVID-19 vaccines after volunteering at clinics

By Oliver Kneen | March 16

Some University students are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine after volunteering with local clinics, despite projections from the Rhode Island Department of Health that people aged 16-39 will not be eligible for the vaccine until early June. These volunteers have assumed responsibilities including ...

University News

Politician Rahul Gandhi speaks on Indian politics, farmers’ protests, Chinese competition

By Kashif Ansari | March 16

India must engage in “an ongoing negotiation between (its different) ideas and cultures,” said former President of the Indian National Congress and current member of India’s Parliament Rahul Gandhi in a March 16 event at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. The founding ...

University News

The Bruno Brief: When COVID came and students left

By Ben Glickman | March 15

This week, we look back on the weeks leading up to Brown’s announcement that campus would close down because of COVID-19, and the experiences that students had after that announcement. One year after Brown sent students home, we speak to University News Editor Livia Gimenes, who interviewed half a ...

Science & Research

University researchers monitor effects of COVID-19 vaccines in nursing home residents

By Jared Zhang | March 15

A University researcher is leading a national effort to track vaccine adverse events in nursing home residents who have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Vaccine adverse events are health issues that arise following inoculation with a vaccine; these events may be caused by the vaccine itself or be completely ...

Science & Research

Student-built satellite returns after two and a half years in space

By Benjamin Schornstein | March 15

Brown Space Engineering’s first ever student-built satellite, EQUiSat, reentered Earth’s atmosphere on Dec. 26, 2020, after over 14,000 trips around Earth. Brown students had the opportunity to track the satellite as it traveled around Earth and work directly with NASA to test the use of LiFePO4 ...

Metro

ARISE youth and civil rights leaders discuss access to civic education in RI schools

By Kara McAndrew | March 15

In a state where students have sued the governor and other officials for failing to teach them the skills required to vote or engage in jury duty, questions of student civic engagement and activism are especially pressing. “Every student should have a quality education and access to civics education, ...

University News

Campus COVID-19 cases trend in an ‘encouraging direction’ while state vaccine eligibility expands

By Claire Liu | March 14

As the University reported relatively steady levels of asymptomatic COVID-19 cases among community members from last week through its testing program, Rhode Island saw vaccine eligibility open up to two new groups. The University saw 23 positive COVID-19 cases through the asymptomatic program this ...

University News

UCS, UFB candidates debate ahead of election

By Shilpa Sajja | March 14

Candidates vying for top positions on the Undergraduate Council of Students and the Undergraduate Finance Board addressed topics including student government reform, transparency and accountability during a virtual debate Saturday morning. UCS Vice President Summer Dai ’22 and Chair of Campus Life ...

Science & Research

The COVID Pod with Dr. Ashish Jha: Marching Forward One Year Later

By Cate Ryan, Emilija Sagaityte and Rahma Ibrahim | March 13

One year into the pandemic, and on the anniversary of the day Brown announced it would be closing to students and faculty in the wake of COVID-19 in March of 2020, The COVID Pod team welcomes Dean of the School of Public Health Ashish Jha to have a conversation about looking ahead. Dr. Jha gives his ...

University News

Percentage Project showcases experiences of underrepresented students in computer science

By Jessica Chiu | March 12

As soon as Percentage Project President and Co-Founder Stephanie Tang first stepped into her AP computer science class, she realized she was the only female student in her grade. The lack of diversity she encountered in computer science didn’t end there — throughout Tang’s college career, she ...