Opinions

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Editorial: Fixing the prison problem

The startling statistics of the prison problem in the United States are often heard through mainstream media. Though the U.S. prison population has been declining for the past several years, the United States still has more prisoners than any other country, even China. The cost of maintaining our federal ...

Sweren ’15: Growing, growing, gone

The second in a series of columns on Brown’s libraries and academic spaces.   Here are some highlights from President Christina Paxson’s letter to the Corporation on plans for the new applied mathematics and engineering buildings, as quoted in a recent Herald article: “ongoing engagement ...

Shin ’17: Escape from freedom

In this brisk autumn weather, with just the right amount of sunlight, I often recall Diogenes the Cynic, who loved leisurely sun-basking. When Alexander the Great, undeniably the most powerful figure of the time, approached this bohemian lying under the sun and asked if he wanted anything, he simply ...

Hillestad ’15: Down with the writing requirement

I’m a writer, so naturally, I believe that an adequate command of the English language is an essential prerequisite for success. The ability to communicate effectively can make or break your career ambitions. It doesn’t matter how smart you are, what phenomenal code you can write, or how much work ...

Letter: The compatibility of religion and academics

To the Editor: In her Monday Herald opinions column (“Are religion and academics incompatible?” Nov. 3), Divya Bhatia ’15 argued that the lack of religious dialogue in academic settings goes against our “liberal” values. While I agree with the point that there should be more open and prevalent ...

Editorial: Drying out campus

Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, and Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, executive vice president for planning and policy, sent out an email to students two weeks ago detailing the University’s response to the complaints of two students who, while at Sears House Oct. ...

Sundlee ’16: Empty gestures

We here on College Hill live in a bubble. It cannot be denied. Who among us has not ventured downtown and been startled by the vast humanity that exists beyond our gates? This phenomenon is not inherently bad. There is nothing wrong with spending our young years in an academic oasis. But this cloistered ...

Student Labor Alliance: Don’t fire mailroom workers (again)

This summer, in a stunning display of putting profit over people, the University decided to outsource Mail Services to the multinational corporation Ricoh USA. On June 19, a few hours after mailroom workers received their would-be annual raises, Beth Gentry, assistant vice president of business and ...

Editorial: Don’t let history repeat itself

Since last winter, the number of school textbooks deemed unsuitable for Russia’s 43,000 schools by President Vladimir Putin has steadily increased, now numbering in the hundreds. Such systemic control over sources of knowledge eerily echoes Soviet-era policies, when the Communist state acted as the ...

Mills ’15: Don’t buy Ebola hype

Ebola in Dallas. Ebola in New York. Even our small state cannot escape the news coverage – “NBC news cameraman from Providence diagnosed with Ebola,” ran one recent headline. It seems hard these days to get away from the Ebola hysteria. Parents are pulling their children from school, families ...

Bhatia ’15: Are religion and academics incompatible?

The debate between science and religion is among our species’ oldest and most controversial dialogues. College campuses, especially Brown, epitomize the distance between religion and scientific academic inquiry. In many classroom discussions, religion can be a conversation-stopper, representing a ...

Letter: Celebrating diversity in teaching

To the Editor:   As a Brown alum, Asian American woman, and executive director of Teach For America Rhode Island, I want to share my perspective on an article in Friday’s Herald, “Number of Brown grads entering TFA drops sharply,” Oct. 24. I appreciate that the article shares Teach For ...

Editorial: Raimondo for Rhode Island, Elorza for Providence

The upcoming elections in Rhode Island provide an opportunity to truly enact change within the state. The gubernatorial and Providence mayoral races hold particular weight, as these offices are highly contested, with no incumbent appearing on the ballot for either office. Looking particularly at the ...

Aluthge ’15: Should Brown prioritize universal need-blind admission over increased financial support for middle class students?

Editors’ note: On today’s commentary page, Dilum Aluthge ’15 tackles both sides of a point-counterpoint debate over financial aid, as a thought experiment in argumentation. Let us know what you think in the comments section or at herald@browndailyherald.com. YES My first argument for prioritizing ...

Brown Democrats: Raimondo for governor, Elorza for mayor

In recent weeks, Rhode Island has made national headlines with a series of appearances by the biggest names in the Democratic Party, including President Obama, First Lady Michelle Obama, former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Democratic National Committee Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman ...

Makhlouf ’16: Civility and its discontents

It has been one year since the Ray Kelly lecture. In the past year, numerous discussions both within and outside Brown have reflected on what happened that evening ad nauseam. To some extent, these conversations were lackluster. A significant position was left out of the equation entirely. I have yet ...

Stand Up for Grad Students: To UMich students, concerning Mark Schlissel

Over the past six months, we have seen a rising tide of challenges to higher education’s commitment to money over ideas. Across the country, members of the higher ed community are challenging the priorities set by the contemporary market-driven university through antiracist actions, mobilization against ...

Rotenberg ’17: Immigration reform — not just a liberal issue

On Oct. 3, President Obama reaffirmed his position to act unilaterally on the issue of immigration reform, announcing that he would issue executive orders over the next few months. As much as these orders may bother conservative Republicans, Obama’s position makes significant investments in greater ...

Letter: Phi Psi condemns sexual violence

Dear Brown community, On Friday, the Brothers of Phi Kappa Psi, along with the rest of the Brown community, received an email from Margaret Klawunn, vice president for campus life and student services, and Russell Carey ’91 MA’06, executive vice president for planning and policy. The email stated ...