I’ve never claimed to be anything of an expert on Venezuela or Latin America. But lately I have been fascinated by the polarized reaction to the death of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez. His critics have characterized his legacy as one of authoritarianism, corruption and rebelliousness. But ...
“To (All) The Colleges That Rejected Me,” a March 29 Wall Street Journal op-ed by Pittsburgh high school senior Suzy Lee Weiss is swiftly making the rounds and gaining great notoriety. “Colleges tell you, ‘Just be yourself,’” she proclaims. “That is great advice, as long as yourself has ...
An April 4 New York Times article, titled “Essay-Grading Software Offers Professors a Break,” examined a futuristic and troubling initiative in the world of higher education: essay-grading software. The software, released last month for all institutions of learning, was developed edX, a nonprofit ...
It’s just another bright, cold day, and you decide to put on an extra sweater before heading downstairs in the morning. After searching for the one that was lying on your bed and finding that you’re already wearing it, you slowly make your way out the door and come to an immediate halt at the top ...
“Universities should not merely train students who can survive and prosper in the world as it is. Instead, we should educate students who will change the world for the better.” This quote is from President Christina Paxson’s March 18 address at George Washington University, during which she spoke ...
College athletics has roots in the Ivy League, but in the 160 years since the first intercollegiate rowing competition between Harvard and Yale, its scope has far exceeded expectations. Brown and the other Ivy League institutions maintain varsity sports teams, but the prohibition of athletic scholarships ...
A few weeks ago, I delivered an in-depth analysis of the timeless classic, “Space Jam.” The modern epic in which Michael Jordan and the Looney Tune bunch take on the bad guys in some classic five-on-five action made me wonder: Who in today’s NBA would represent us in a doomsday/basketball scenario? ...
Yes: Brown is not the Wharton School of Business, nor does the administration want Brown to emulate Wharton — but our college should rethink this decision. Having transferred from Wharton, I know what makes an undergraduate business program, the advantages of this experience and the drawbacks borne ...
The theatrical release of “Moneyball” in 2011 marked the first time many baseball fans — as well as non-sports enthusiasts — were ever exposed to the next generation of baseball statistics, affectionately known as sabermetrics. With the college baseball season well underway and Major League ...
The class of 2017 faced one of the toughest admission cycles yet, with this year’s admit rate to Brown the second-lowest in the University’s history. As the college application process grows increasingly competitive, we worry about the culture that comes to surround higher education and, in particular, ...
The clock is ticking, ladies. Susan Patton recently penned a letter to the Daily Princetonian suggesting that female students find a husband before graduation. She claimed couples that share the same socioeconomic status and interests are generally happier. The letter received severe backlash and ...
On the night of Nov. 4, 2008, Barack Obama was elected president of the United States, the first black American to hold that position in the nation’s history, overcoming the obstacles that limited the ambitions and successes of people of color to occupy this nation’s highest office. Everywhere, ...
According to a recent Herald article, 58 percent of admits to Brown’s class of 2017 “intend to concentrate in the physical or life sciences, with engineering, biology and computer science topping the list.” This illustrates a steady rise in students interested in pursuing careers in the sciences ...
Present in any discipline is an overarching goal that drives the research and application of the field. In some specialties, these goals are generally uncontroversial. But in others, societal effects have far-reaching ethical implications. A paradigmatic example of this is biological weapons research, ...
I value marriage. I do not believe it is for everyone, I think too many people blindly accept it as a way of life, and I don’t think it is the only sort of relationship that the government should recognize, but I still value it. I say this because over the last month in particular, we have seen just ...
With the advent of April, many Brown students look forward to the promises of next year, when the community will welcome the new class of 2017. This incoming first-year class is considered the most diverse ever, with 45 percent identifying as students of color, The Herald reported Monday. But there ...
To the Editor: The Herald quotes President Christina Paxson as saying, “I’m not persuaded yet that the action (divestment activists) think the University should take is the most appropriate action” (“Paxson navigates advocacy, leadership,” April 1). As an alum, I am very disappointed. There ...
Recently, same-sex marriage has made news headlines. In March, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenges California’s heterosexual definition of marriage, and United States v. Windsor, which challenges the Defense of Marriage Act’s restriction of federal ...
I do not agree with John Stuart Mill on everything, but he is far and away the best thinker I’ve ever read on the topic of freedom of speech. The second chapter of his “On Liberty” is filled with philosophical gems, but here’s my favorite quote of all: “The steady habit of correcting and completing ...
The Supreme Court held hearings last week for the cases against Proposition 8, the California state bill banning same-sex marriage, and the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which restricts federal recognition of marriage and its benefits to solely opposite-sex spouses. Protests and lectures demonstrated ...
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