Opinions - The Brown Daily Herald

Opinions

Brewer GS, Brown ’08 MD’12, Sokol, Tobin-Tyler, Zhang ’27: The University’s agreement with the federal government is setting the stage for the erosion of trans rights

By Liz Tobin-Tyler, Natasha Sokol, Jacqueline Zhang, Bailey Brewer and Ben Brown | September 25

We write to you as researchers and students affiliated with the Brown Reproductive Justice Collaborative and as people whose work is grounded in the principle of bodily autonomy. Although the University’s voluntary resolution agreement with the U.S. government will allow many of us to return to some ...

A picture of Salomon Teaching Center at Brown University

Opinions

Vishwakarma ’29: The real world is a RIPTA ride away

By Arya Vishwakarma | September 25

It was my first week of college, and my roommate and I had skipped the overcrowded lines of the Brown Runs Costco Trip for something which seemed a little more achievable: taking the bus two stops down to the Walmart in North Providence. Yet, as we embarked on our journey, we watched in horror as our ...

An illustration of a cartoon RIPTA bus in a field with the sea in the background.

Opinions

Edelson ’29: American politics is losing the distinction between passion and hate

By Clay Edelson | September 25

“There’s some passion in the building, which is a good thing,” Tim Walz shouted over thunderous heckling as he took the podium during an event at the Minnesota State Capitol in April. Today, it feels as though politicians have wholly forgotten the purpose of politics: to bargain, negotiate and ...

Opinions

Yeung ’29: Careerism has no place at Brown

By Christian Yeung | September 25

At this year’s opening convocation, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 stated that Brown’s Open Curriculum is “an approach to education that’s designed to encourage intellectual exploration, which means taking risks.” With thousands of available courses, the ability to take classes ...

Opinions

Narancic ’27: We all asked ChatGPT for health advice — here’s why that’s risky

By Goran Narancic | September 23

Every day, we ask AI what to eat for dinner, how to structure an essay and even how to navigate breakups. It is no surprise, then, that more and more people are turning to ChatGPT for something far more serious: medical advice. In fact, a 2024 KFF survey found that about one in six U.S. adults now use ...

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Opinions

Manhardt ’26: From hippie university to finance feeder — Brown is officially evolving, and it’s about time

By Batisse Manhardt | September 23

Brown has always been known as the quirky, fun, Happy Ivy with its Open Curriculum, ability to pass/fail any class and independent concentrations. Students can be seen frolicking on the green and embracing the University’s carefree and relaxed vibe, discussing their class on anything from tai chi ...

Brown University's Robinson Hall, which is a large, geometrical stone and brick building.

Opinions

Cheong ’27: Tech startups need to take their business seriously

By Daniel Cheong | September 21

What do we celebrate when we celebrate startups — progress, or just spectacle? The right answer should be progress, but recent trends in startup culture suggest otherwise. Lately, startups have turned to social media as a tool to spur growth. This makes sense: Social media is the platform of our generation ...

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Opinions

Gupta ’25 MD’29: Open curriculum, open relationships?

By Anusha Gupta | September 21

When I first started this column as an undergrad, I was writing about hookup culture between seminar readings. Now, I’m back as a med student and trading in dorm gossip for cadaver lab. But honestly, they’re not so different — both involve plenty of anatomy and a few highly questionable decisions. ...

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Opinions

Editorial: Brown must foster AI literacy

By Editorial Page Board | September 18

Artificial intelligence is poised to revolutionize the way we work, learn and live our daily lives at a scale not seen since the Industrial Revolution. In the past year, Brown has taken numerous steps to advance the University’s preparation for this new era. Last December, the University announced ...

Opinions

Murray ’29: No thanks, I don’t want your Instagram — texting is still cool

By Clara Murray | September 18

You’re a few minutes into meeting someone new on campus. Names and hometowns have been exchanged, and you’re thinking of making the jump to ask for their contact information. But then a phone appears in your face, paired with the tantalizing question: “What’s your Instagram?” This instant ...

An illustration of a woman with brown hair wearing a black long-sleeve holding up her phone with a text message on the screen and a notification from Instagram.

Opinions

Berkwits ’29: The downfall of good advice

By Talia Berkwits | September 18

Two weeks ago, as I sat on a rickety folding chair under the Main Green’s blue September sky, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 gave me and the rest of the incoming first-year class a piece of advice: Risk failure. It was amid this guidance that she herself, through the small, brave act ...

A cartoon graphic design of a woman lying on a purple couch receiving advice from a man reading from a clipboard.

Opinions

Kaak ’29: ‘Robophobia’ is all too human

By Avery Kaak | September 16

If you often find yourself doomscrolling on social media, it is likely you have encountered a new parodic trend on artificial intelligence: videos about “clankers.” In these videos, “clankers,” “wirebacks” and countless other phrases are used as slurs against AI, often within the context ...

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Opinions

Gerasimchuk ’28: What a first-year can learn from Albert Camus

By Alexander Gerasimchuk | September 15

My first year at Brown was confusing. I arrived wide-eyed and disoriented by a mess of opportunities: clubs, parties, frats, sororities, classes, jobs. Each one told the same story: Happiness is contingent on achieving some material goal — getting into a competitive club, obtaining an override for ...

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Tesler ’29: Performative reading is good, actually

By Zeke Tesler | September 14

In October 2024, The Atlantic published a widely circulated article called “The Elite College Students Who Can’t Read Books.” Drawing on accounts from 33 professors, it argues that many students arrive at college unprepared to read complete novels. Some professors suggested potential causes, including ...

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Rahman ’26: Murder cannot be sanitized

By Tasawwar Rahman | September 11

In one of the earliest stories of the Hebrew Bible, God asks Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” Feigning ignorance, Cain responds, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” But Cain did know what had happened — he and his brother had fought in jealousy, and Cain had killed him. It was ...

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Opinions

Editorial: Brown must step in to save the Critical Review

By Editorial Page Board | September 11

As students decide between Brown’s nearly 1,400 course offerings this shopping period, one obstacle remains constant — a dearth of Critical Reviews.

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Opinions

Simon ’00: The law, not politics, defines Jewish identity under Title VI

By Ellen Simon | September 11

As a Jewish Brown alum and a practicing attorney, I feel compelled to respond to Professor Katharina Galor’s erroneous analysis of the University’s settlement with the federal government. Galor’s reading disregards federal regulatory interpretation of Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that ...

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Opinions

Canfield ’28: The answer to gerrymandering is not more gerrymandering

By Ethan Canfield | September 10

Last month, Texas Republicans approved a mid-decade redistricting plan that could give the party five additional congressional seats in the 2026 midterm elections. After months of unpopular policies spewing from the federal government, Trump-backed GOP representatives have decided to gerrymander their ...

An illustration of a red cutout of Texas and a blue cutout of California on a purple background.

Opinions

Ahmed ’27: We need to love men

By Shayyan Ahmed | September 9

What does it mean to be a good man? Masculine and dominant? Playful and caring?

Opinions

Barth Wu ’26: Chew On This: Amaryllis

By Eleanor Barth Wu | September 8

Many of the restaurants on Westminster Street, the slightly shi-shi culinary stretch of Providence’s downtown, feel the same: mid-century modern tables and chairs, warm lighting and an affluent clientele. Amaryllis offers the same trappings, but a few critical details set this globally-inspired and ...