News - The Brown Daily Herald

Science & Research

Pre-college students begin ‘highly structured’ first summer session, required to test twice a week regardless of vaccination status

By Gabriella Vulakh | June 20

High school students enrolled in Brown’s Pre-College summer programs began moving into their on-campus dorms this past weekend in preparation for the first day of classes June 21. Students in the program are required to partake in asymptomatic testing, and the University has worked to keep the program’s ...

Sports

Out on the field: Life as an LGBTQ student-athlete at Brown

By Jack Walker | June 17

When a high school student decides to play a sport at the collegiate level, signing a letter of intent means more than just new opportunities. In the world of varsity athletics, teammates train side-by-side in practices and spend hours packed together in buses for travel games. Committing to a team ...

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Metro

Metro Roundup, Jun. 18

By Benjamin Pollard | June 17

State legislators announce $13.1 billion budget proposal Rhode Island legislators unveiled a $13.1 billion proposed state budget for the 2021-22 fiscal year, WPRI reported. The budget, which exceeds the $11.2 billion proposal from Gov. Dan McKee by roughly $2 billion, includes increases in spending ...

University News

Brown plans to resume select study abroad programs for Fall 2021

By Jasper Yeh | June 17

The University plans to resume a number of study abroad programs for the fall semester in light of increased COVID-19 vaccination rates and reduced travel restrictions, according to the Office of International Programs in a June 17 Today@Brown announcement. Select study abroad programs in Barbados, ...

Science & Research

BrainGate consortium develops new approach of brain-to-text communication through handwriting

By Jared Zhang | June 16

In a May study published in Nature, the BrainGate research consortium — which includes researchers from Brown, Stanford University and Case Western Reserve University — presented a new system of brain-to-text communication via attempted handwriting, which turns thought into text through brain implants. The ...

Metro

Project Weber/RENEW opens new harm reduction center in Olneyville

By Ashley Guo | June 15

On Olneyville Square, a new colorful window display announces that “Health, Safety & Support Live Here.” Project Weber/RENEW, a nonprofit harm reduction organization currently headquartered on Broad Street in Providence, opened a new location in Olneyville May 26 and is in the process of opening ...

University News

CNN’s Sara Sidner, New York Times’s John Eligon discuss reporting on race

By Gaya Gupta | June 15

Earlier this year in January, CNN correspondent Sara Sidner broke down crying on live television after reporting about COVID-19’s impact on minority communities from California. She had just been with a grieving family forced to have a funeral service in a parking lot while hospitals and funeral homes ...

Metro

Brown, local LGBTQ+ organizations celebrate Pride Month in-person, online after pandemic closures last year

By Kaitlyn Torres | June 14

Throughout the pandemic, Brown and local LGBTQ+ organizations alike have been forced to reimagine how to gather their communities while abiding by public health restrictions. Last June, the in-person pride parades and gatherings central to Pride Month were canceled or postponed as the COVID-19 pandemic ...

Sports

Brown football alums’ racehorse Hot Rod Charlie places second in Belmont Stakes

By Peter Swope | June 14

Hot Rod Charlie, the thoroughbred racehorse part-owned by Boat Racing LLC, placed second in the Belmont Stakes June 5, the third and final leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. Boat Racing LLC was founded by five Brown football alums — Patrick O’Neill ’15, Alex Quoyeser ’15, Reiley Higgins ’15, ...

Metro

Some Providence churches move closer to normal, but others remain cautious as state eases restrictions

By Nicholas Miller | June 14

James Busby stood conducting in the center of the room, listening to the thirteen voices blending in the morning air around him. Precise harmonies, invigorating crescendos, joyous voices — it was the St. Stephen’s Church choir’s largest rehearsal since the pandemic began. “There are so many ...

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Science & Research

Improved discussion between school boards, communities could help increase involvement at school board meetings, study finds

By Casey Chan | June 14

School board meetings with deliberation and discussion between the school board and community members are more likely to have higher community engagement, seen in a greater willingness to attend school board meetings in the future and result in an increased trust in school officials, a study published ...

University News

Brown Corporation names three new fellows, seven new trustees

By Jack Walker | June 13

The Corporation — the University’s highest-governing body — elected three new members to its Board of Fellows and seven new members to its Board of Trustees during its annual spring meeting in May, according to a June 1 news release. The three new members of the University’s Board of Fellows ...

Science & Research

Brown partnership with Broad Institute allows for new viral sequencing, studying of COVID-19 variants from testing program samples

By Gabriella Vulakh | June 13

Students in the COVID-19 testing program were asked to consent to new viral sequencing for variants through the Broad Institute, the University’s testing partner, in an email sent to on-campus students June 8. The Broad Institute is collaborating with state departments of health and universities ...

University News

First-year students face the implications of a summer without work or internships

By Emily Faulhaber | June 10

In July 2020, Brown announced its three-term model for the 2020-2021 academic year. Sophomores, juniors and seniors were given the opportunity to be on campus for the fall 2020 semester, while first years were allowed to be on campus during the spring and summer 2021 terms. With the final semester of ...

University News

Watson panel discusses recent violence in Israel-Palestine

By Kate Dario | June 10

In light of the recent violence this past month in Israel-Palestine, the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, the Center for Middle East Studies and the Department of History hosted “five renowned Palestinian and Jewish researchers” in a June 10 panel discussion to analyze the ...

Metro

City announces Crook Point Bridge design winner

By Victoria Yin | June 10

On Providence’s East Side, a rusty drawbridge juts out of the Seekonk River and points to the sky. It is visible for miles and well-known among nearby residents. The Crook Point Bascule Bridge, built in 1908, formerly connected Fox Point to East Providence by railroad and was abandoned 45 years ago. Two ...

Metro

Rhode Island community organizations reflect on recent uptick in violence

By Oliver Kneen | June 9

After a recent series of violent incidents in the wake of last year’s uptick in local shootings and homicides in Providence, community organizations consider the change necessary to bring violent crime rates down. So far this year, the Providence Police Department has documented 189 instances of ...

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University News

Students, professors respond with excitement to in-person summer classes

By Alex Nadirashvili | June 9

When Professor of Africana Studies Lisa Biggs walked into the Friedman Hall lecture room of her course, AFRI 0300: “Performing Ethnography and the Politics of Culture,” she was met with a surprising sense of anxiety. After 15 months of social distancing protocols, stepping into a room of 19 students ...

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Metro

Javier Montañez named PPSD interim superintendent

By Kate Dario | June 8

Javier Montañez will serve as the new interim superintendent of the Providence Public School District following former superintendent Harrison Peters’ May resignation, according to a press release from the Rhode Island Department of Education. Montañez is currently the principal of Leviton Dual ...

University News

Remote learning opens door to more guest lecturers

By Sarah McGrath | June 8

Throughout the pandemic, remote learning has allowed professors to incorporate a more diverse set of guest lecturers into their syllabi. As Brown continues its fourth semester of remote learning, The Herald spoke with professors about their experiences hosting lectures over Zoom and their plans for ...