News - The Brown Daily Herald

Science & Research

Brown lifts restrictions on library seating, University-sponsored travel, will reduce quarantine housing, limitations on visitors

By Gabriella Vulakh | July 18

The University has further lifted restrictions on density requirements on campus and on international travel and will make additional changes in housing capacity and campus visitor policy by the fall semester, as the number of community members testing positive for COVID-19 each week remains at a minimum. There ...

Science & Research

Brown researchers find political partisanship greatest predictive factor of COVID-19 safe behaviors

By Jared Zhang | July 16

Neither perceived risk nor actual risk of COVID-19 infection predict rates of mask wearing and social distancing, according to a study published by researchers from the University’s Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences department in June. Instead, the study found that political partisanship, ...

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University News

U. loosens restrictions on University-sponsored international travel

By Jack Walker | July 15

Beginning Thursday, the University has returned to its high-risk and restricted policies for University-sponsored travel, according to a July 15 Today@Brown announcement from Christine Sprovieri, director of international travel risk management. The transition marks a loosening of restrictions on University-sponsored ...

Metro

College Hill historic district expansion passes despite prior University objections

By Katy Pickens | July 14

A long-debated expansion to the historic district on College Hill, which includes three buildings owned by the University, was passed unanimously by the Providence City Council June 3. The University had initially opposed the historic overlay because the Brown-owned properties included in the district ...

University News

Sharpe Refectory reopens for in-person dining after more than a year of take-out only

By Livia Gimenes | July 12

The clock struck 12 noon Monday and in the Sharpe Refectory, for the first time in over a year, a familiar scene appeared. Students rushed in with raincoats and backpacks wet after the journey from their dorm or previous class. The square eight-person tables became almost fully populated with groups ...

University News

‘Testament to the community’: VP Carey discusses changes after campus students, faculty surpass 90 percent vaccination levels

By Gabriella Vulakh | July 11

The University will begin returning to pre-pandemic campus life after on-campus students and faculty exceeded 90 percent vaccination levels, resuming in-person dining at the Sharpe Refectory and closing access to COVID-19 testing sites for vaccinated individuals this week. As of July 7, 95.9 percent ...

University News

Admission office plans to return to pre-pandemic tour, travel policy

By Will Kubzansky | July 11

The University’s Office of Admission will resume in-person campus tours and some high school visits this fall, according to Dean of Admission Logan Powell and an email to the student body from Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 MA’06 last month. Public health guidance, ...

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University News

Brown to distribute $6.29 million in federal student aid

By Caelyn Pender | July 8

The University will distribute $6.29 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to students by the end of this month, according to a July 7 letter from Provost Richard Locke P’18 shared in Today@Brown. Eligible first-year students will receive funding after their arrival at Brown in September. This ...

Metro

Family-run restaurant Abu Yarub Al-Shami will bring Syrian flavors to College Hill

By Katy Pickens | July 8

When Amir Tatari moved to the United States from Syria in the late 1980s, his first job was working at a Dunkin’ Donuts on Thayer Street. Now, over 30 years later, he is set to open the restaurant Abu Yarub Al-Shami on the very same street. Tatari expects to host a “soft open” for the restaurant ...

Science & Research

Brown neuroscience lab devises novel guidelines to measure, study negative effects of mindfulness-based meditation

By Kathleen Meininger | July 8

Though mindfulness programs offer promising treatment paths for many, tools for researchers to examine their potential pitfalls have remained underdeveloped, according to Willoughby Britton, director of the University’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory. In order to better understand ...

University News

Brown students face Northeast heat wave without AC, call University response inadequate

By Emma Gardner | July 7

A multi-day heat wave at the end of June prompted complaints from students about the excessive heat with limited air conditioning and what they called an inadequate University response. The heat wave, which peaked at 97 degrees on Tuesday, June 29, has noticeably impacted students living in dorms on ...

University News

Undergraduates, pre-college high school students reflect on sharing campus

By Kashif Ansari | July 7

With pre-college programs returning to campus, bringing hundreds of high school students to College Hill at a limited capacity compared to prior years, undergraduate students taking classes during the summer as part of the University’s three-term plan find themselves sharing campus with high schoolers. The ...

Science & Research

OpenMind consortium accelerates creation of neurostimulation devices to sense, record brain activity

By Gabriella Vulakh | July 7

University researchers — along with teams at the University of California, San Francisco, Mayo Clinic and Oxford — have come together to establish the OpenMind neural communications consortium, a platform to share and disseminate data, protocols and regulatory requirements associated with implantable ...

University News

UCS discusses food accessibility, plant-based options at town hall

By Laura David | July 7

The Undergraduate Council of Students hosted a town hall with Director of Wellness and Nutrition Jessie Curran at its virtual general body meeting Wednesday. Students were able to submit questions via Google Form prior to the meeting. UCS Chair of Campus Life Mina Sarmas ’24 moderated the discussion, ...

University News

University reaches 90 percent COVID-19 vaccination rate

By Laura David | July 7

The University has reached a 90 percent overall COVID-19 vaccination rate for students, faculty and staff currently engaged in on-campus activity, Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, executive vice president of planning and policy, wrote in an email to the community Wednesday morning. After a year of pandemic ...

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Metro

Metro Roundup, July 7

By Benjamin Pollard | July 7

Gov. McKee vetoes renewable energy bill Gov. Dan McKee vetoed a renewable energy bill that would have placed millions of dollars in costs of wind and solar projects onto ratepayers rather than developers, according to The Providence Journal. McKee said that the bill would increase costs for customers ...

Metro

Eleven Cranston ‘massage workers’ arrested during police raid

By Victoria Yin | July 1

Cranston police arrested 11 people and shut down six “suspected illegal massage parlors” in a coordinated raid June 17, according to a Cranston Police Department news release. The raid was spurred by multiple reports of suspicious activity in those locations by neighbors, WJAR reported. The Cranston ...

University News

University removes Hegeman Hall surveillance cameras

By Sameer Sinha | July 1

Security cameras in Hegeman Hall, which were initially installed in spring 2020 in response to multiple instances of homophobic graffiti and one instance of antisemitic graffiti, were recently taken down. In an email to the Herald, Vice President for Campus Life Eric Estes wrote that the cameras were ...

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Metro

Hope High School opens University-funded library redesign

By Kate Dario | July 1

After 11 months of work and $150,000 of University support, Hope High School opened its redesigned library and media center June 7, according to a University press release. The project is the latest Brown payout to the Providence Public School District from the Fund for the Education of the Children ...

Metro

R.I. to supply body cameras to all police officers

By Oliver Kneen | June 30

Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Neronha and state legislators announced new legislation on June 16 to provide body-worn cameras to all 1,700 frontline police officers in the state. The bill has passed both the House and Senate. While the Providence and Newport Police Departments already require ...