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Opinions

Opinions

Rowland '17: Economics and Enlightenment

I always laugh at the idea of taking a “fourth class” — the idea that three of the courses we take relate to our concentration and the fourth is “just for fun.” I understand the principle behind the phrase, but the wording is peculiar. Is a course outside of your discipline less important? ...


Opinions

Letter: Students for Justice in Palestine hummus boycott

To the Editor: Thanks for the article, “Hummus options added after SJP protest,” March 8. As a Mizrahi Jew, it was enlightening to read that “‘(my) ancestors have been eating hummus, (and) they have been eating hummus for their whole lives.’” This came as a shock, mostly because I don’t ...


Opinions

Johnson '19: Political conviction or self-righteousness?

A memorable line from the Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan Sunday came from Sen. Bernie Sanders, D-VT: “Democrats are not always right.” That truth should be acknowledged more often than it is, especially in our contentious political climate. Bernie’s assertion is important because even though ...


Opinions

Tisch '17: Why Brown needs a gynecologist

Like many people, I am not particularly fond of pelvic examinations. Even when performed with the utmost care, sensitivity and expertise, this essential examination can be a source of both anxiety and discomfort. I recently visited Health Services to deal with a nonurgent “female” issue. I was prompted ...

Tisch_GYN_EmmaJerzyk

Opinions

Savello '18: Success: not a numbers game

If you ask Brown students why they like their school, chances are the S/NC option and related academic freedom will be within the top five reasons. In fact, it’s this lack of emphasis on grades — and the complete nonexistence of GPA — that draws so many of us to Brown in the first place. Lower ...


Opinions

Malik '18: The gatekeepers of knowledge

As an ardent defender of the humanities who believes they should be valued and encouraged as fields of study, I am disturbed by a news article published recently in the New York Times. The piece, “A Rising Call to Promote STEM Funding and Cut Liberal Arts Education,” describes a growing trend in ...


Opinions

O'Shea '19: Welcome to the Heps

Last weekend, in a cold, clear corner of the Empire State, a battle raged. The eight Track and Field teams of the Ivy League assembled for the 68th meeting of the Indoor Heptagonal Games. This grand tradition provided two days of agony and ecstasy to its participants and spectators, as the emotions ...


Opinions

Bhargava ’17: The great escape

I first discovered the Absolute Quiet Room in the Rockefeller Library over the summer. I was roaming the library, looking for a place to sit and read a research paper — the sort that had obscure mathematical symbols scattered on every page — and when I saw a worn-out red armchair in the distance, ...


Opinions

Steinman ’19: The echo chamber: all we have in common

“You know where Hillary’s campaign headquarters should be?” laughed the Donald Trump supporter, his breath curling up like smoke in the cold. “Allenwood Federal Correctional Complex.” He cracked up at his own joke and went on to mock other candidates as he waved a “Make America Great Again” ...


Opinions

Editorial: A comment on comments

The Herald removed the ability for readers to leave comments not linked to an e-mail account and user name on our site yesterday. The comments section of any website can and should be a place for readers to conduct a productive discussion about the site’s content. But comments sections have an unfortunate ...


Opinions

Letter: Supporting Middle East studies

To the Editor: I read Sara Al-Salem’s Feb. 26 column with great interest and empathy. Many years ago, when I was an international student at Brown, I had an emotional breakdown due to some private reasons involving my family. I could not handle the double stress of trying to sort out personal issues, ...


Opinions

Friedman '19: Let’s unpack ‘unpacking’

I always knew that college was going to be full of conversations: late-night, lengthy, profound and sometimes uncomfortable. As a high school student, I relished in the prospect of living with fellow students who were just as willing to engage with intellectual ideas as I was. I imagined that serendipitous ...


Opinions

Yu '19: The migratory patterns of the Canada Goose

Every winter, a brutal arctic wind encapsulates Brown University. The steely, nondescript sky serves as a facade to the delicate branches of redbud trees violated by the remorseless winds of the wasteland we amiably call southern New England. In an effort to combat the gripping tendrils of this numbing ...


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Meyer '17: Why liberals should vote for Rubio

Donald Trump may have won the most delegates on Super Tuesday, but he hasn’t put the race away yet. He failed to win a majority in any state. As in earlier primaries, he continued to benefit from the deadlocked race for second place. While Ted Cruz, R-TX, and Marco Rubio, R-FL continue to duke it ...


Opinions

Kumar '17: In defense of the ‘like’

Last Wednesday, Facebook unveiled its reactions, five emojis meant to supplement the like button as users express emotions: love, haha, wow, sad and angry. The world took note, with news coverage from a broad range of outlets and gleeful (or cynical) statuses about the change from the social network’s ...


Opinions

Vilsan '19: Trumping the American Dream

There is no European Dream, at least not in the literary sense. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s Great Gatsby never threw a glamorous party in Southern France, not because he couldn’t afford the catering, but because there was no green glimmer of hope on the dock across the water. Eternal optimism and an ingrained ...


Opinions

Esemplare '18: Mandatory attendance misses the mark

You probably remember your first day of college. You walked into your dorm room for the first time, overwhelmed by a nervous excitement as you took in the scene. You probably felt freedom. You may have loved it. It may have scared you. It was probably a little bit of both. But that’s what college ...


Opinions

Editorial: Committee research compensation

We are delighted with Brown’s decision to begin funding student research for committees this semester. Students serving on the Mental Health Community Council and Title IX Oversight and Advisory Board will start a pilot program for research funding, and the students serving on those committees will ...


Opinions

Letter: Responding to student concerns

To the Editor: At an open university like ours, what happens in a classroom is always fair game for public discussion, and Kyle Tildon ’19 has every right to openly criticize one of his professors, as he did in his recent Herald column, “On the Classroom.” But that does not mean that his charges ...


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Mitra '18 The Trump effect

When Donald Trump first began running for President, I was sure he had an ulterior motive: I assumed his campaign was a year-long publicity stunt for the next season of “The Apprentice.” After all, how could anyone take a Trump campaign seriously, even Trump himself? But as the election cycle heats ...




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