Opinions

Johnson '14: Let's rename everything

Happy belated Columbus Day. Or, as we call it here at Brown, Fall Weekend.

Lebovitz '14: Rock beats SciLi

A recently completed Macroeconomics exam forced me to go underground last weekend, squirreling away in a library cubbyhole to simultaneously pound out problem sets and practice exams. I ended up studying in both of campus' two main libraries, the Rockefeller Library and the Sciences Library. So with ...

Seol '14: A novel solution to the textbook problem

The steadily rising cost of textbooks is a problem that plagues all students. Opinions columnist Jan Cao '13 recently argued against costly textbooks ("Calculus and pirates," Sept. 28), citing students' "right to knowledge." And while Cao says, "I will not go so far as to suggest that we should all ...

Spencer-Salmon '14: A false choice

I go to Brown's Focal Point page a lot. It's handy because, despite frequent navel-gazing, my thoughts­­ — and those of fellow students — about life goals usually don't go further than "I am he as you are he as you are me ... what?" The page description suggests that I should use ...

Letter: ROTC debate lacks fresh perspectives

To the Editor:

Shanks '12: The criminalization of dissent and why it matters

At Brown, we are known for meaningful analysis and crafting innovative methods for change. This is thanks to an atmosphere that privileges social justice and positive transformation. So it is natural that we should worry at attempts to curtail our academic and political freedom. We must expose these ...

Editorial: Parsing the pension problem

As many of us prepare for the first round of midterms, Rhode Island lawmakers are getting ready for a test of their own. The General Assembly will soon convene for a special session to address the state pension system's $7.3 billion unfunded liability. There will almost certainly be major changes in ...

Park '12: We are all subjects

There are a plethora of ways in which our society normalizes able-bodied people at the exclusion of those whose bodies are differently- or dis-abled. Ability or disability is judged at a glance, frozen in place with a stare, and in part separates those we consider capable subjects from incapable objects ...

Tobias '12: Time to relax

No champagne was popped and no balls dropped, but last week marked the Jewish New Year. The time now between the Jewish New Year and Yom Kippur, Judaism's holiest day, is a period to reflect on the previous year. It is a time to take an accounting of one's self and one's deeds.

Seda '12: Let's not forget Somalia

It is early summer in the year 2011, yet it feels like 1992 to the oldest residents of Somalia. For the second time in 20 years, a succession of days without rain has drained the soil and their hopes. The outlook is as bleak as ever. Family members are forced to pack their few belongings and abandon ...

Letters: Clocking the hours, ringing the bells

To the Editor:

Kalyanpur '13: The golden age?

College is consistently and, quite frankly, too frequently heralded as the time of our lives. We are constantly reminded to appreciate these four years before we set out into the real world. It is the golden age of our own time. I find this exalted distinction far too disconcerting. When we graduate, ...

Editorial: Making room in R.I. for undocumented students

Last Monday, the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education voted unanimously to approve a measure that allows undocumented students to pay in-state tuition at Rhode Island public colleges and universities. The discounted rates will only apply for individuals who attended a state high school ...

Editorial: Old problem, new fixes

We applaud recent advances made by the University to improve undergraduate advising with practical web-based tools. Particularly important at Brown because of the New Curriculum's open, design-your-own approach to education, advising has long been the source of complaints from undergraduates. We are, ...

Letter: A solution for expensive textbooks

To the Editor:

Rosenbloom '13: The fundamental dilemma behind the ROTC debate

The debate about whether to recognize the Reserve Officers' Training Corps on campus is indicative of a more fundamental struggle facing the community. How do we, as members of an extremely liberal university, engage with a world that does not share our deep commitment to liberal values?

Editorial: Honey, I reared the kids

Last week, the White House and the National Science Foundation announced a new NSF Career-Life Balance Initiative aimed at increasing "the placement, advancement and retention of women in (the science, technology, engineering and mathematics) fields" through "gender-neutral, family-friendly policies" ...

Moffat '13: Feds and Chafee apathetic to the plight of patients

When the Rhode Island Legislature enacted the 2006 Edward O. Hawkins and Thomas C. Slater Medical Marijuana Act — in large part thanks to the work of Jesse Stout '06 — many celebrated the achievement as a victory for patients' rights. The act created a legal path for people who suffered ...

Letter: An apology from the econ department

To the Editor:

Hefer '12: Objectification for fun and profit