McGrath ’24: The debt ceiling dilemma: How the filibuster functions as a tool for partisan cynicism

Last Tuesday, the House of Representatives voted to raise the federal debt ceiling, narrowly avoiding fiscal calamity had the United States defaulted on its loans. The vote came less than a week after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell reached a deal with Senate Democrats to lift the statutory limit ...

Letter: Rhode Island’s history of refugee mutual aid continues

I commend Alissa Simon ’25 and The Herald for the Oct. 6 column concerning the expected arrival of Afghans in Rhode Island. 

Bendicksen ’22: Ditch the Hospital Merger, Brown

The University is planning to sink at least $125 million over five years into a hospital mega-merger that, if approved, would effectively monopolize inpatient care in Rhode Island. It’s a huge deal that could have serious consequences for the cost and quality of health care in the state. So why isn’t ...

Editorial: Brown Dining is broken. Our workers deserve better.

Brown Dining Services is broken. As recent reporting has revealed, staff at campus dining halls are suffering due to overwork, communication failures and disorganized management. Our workers deserve better. They deserve a University that acknowledges their struggles, at the very least, and commits to ...

Han ’23: Why didn’t I love Squid Game?

It was a Friday night. I was in a familiar state — too tired to go out, too awake to go to sleep and far too lazy to get a head start on my readings for next week. Right then, my phone flashed with a notification from Netflix. Something called “Squid Game” had just been released.

Barnett ’24: How NFTs are democratizing the art world

Non-fungible tokens, or “NFTs,” are unique images or gifs stored on a digital ledger called a blockchain. To put it more simply, they are files combined with proof of ownership — a digital deed of sorts — and they are the hottest new thing to hit the art world.

Gao ’24: America’s educators are fed up with toxic positivity. Let’s listen to their anger.

During the pandemic, teachers who are already stressed and spread thinner than ever are speaking out about “toxic positivity.” In March 2020, high school English teacher Irene Yannascoli walked into a faculty meeting filled with bright decorations, icebreaker games, words of affirmation and even ...

Rauschenbach ’23: Brown must respect BDS workers

Long lines might be the hallmark of the student dining experience at Brown. But these lines are a symptom of a deeper crisis: the shocking conditions facing our dining hall workers. 

McGough ’23: America needs to talk taxation

 No politician likes to talk about taxes. Some will pepper their platforms with promises to “tax the rich” or “cut corporate taxes,” but few really get into the nitty-gritty details of their ideal tax code. It makes sense. After all, no one has ever been roused to vote by an accountant ...

Gaber ’23: How IATSE strikes reflect America’s normalization of work exploitation

Simon ’25: More than charity — it’s time to reenvision refugee aid

It’s a crisis, but also an inflection point. Rhode Island isn’t just inheriting the consequences of American interventionism; it’s now met with an opportunity to set an example by centering those receiving aid rather than those giving it.

McGrath ’24: The ‘cancel culture’ debate reimagined: envisioning restorative justice in the online discourse

Last month, historian and Staff Writer at The Atlantic Anne Applebaum laid down a searing indictment of so-called cancel culture — a phenomenon that she has deemed “The New Puritanism.” In it, Applebaum rails against the modern mob’s failure to tolerate opposing viewpoints, arguing that the ...

Editorial: We shouldn’t have to live in Wellness to live well

The Wellness Center dorm certainly sets a promising tone for future expansions of University housing, and its mission of promoting well-being is admirable. At the same time, the building’s almost luxurious design highlights existing inequities in the Brown residential experience, setting a worrying ...

Editorial: Hungry for change

With students once again flooding into the Ratty, clamoring for sandwiches at the Blue Room and foraging for a late-night snack at Jo’s, Brown dining is back — but for many, it is not back to where it needs to be.