Opinions
Letter: Response to 'Mayor Smiley pushes for noise camera installation in Providence'
By John Wilner | April 11To the Editor:
Opinions
Opinions
Aizenberg ’26: No, the eclipse was not going to blind you
By Benjamin Aizenberg | April 11The solar eclipse earlier this week sparked widespread wonder and amazement. The Main Green was filled with hundreds of students excited to view the first total American solar eclipse since 2017. This awe, however, was accompanied by serious warnings to not look at the sun during the eclipse without ...
Opinions
Garo ’24: You may be misunderstanding the point of divestment
By Isabella Garo | April 8Divestment is not a new topic to many American colleges and universities. It first disrupted American campuses in the 1970s and 80s as students protested companies involved in South Africa’s apartheid regime. Many of today’s students likely recognize the current fossil fuel divestment movement, ...
Opinions
Sandhu ’25: Diversity, equity and inclusion in the classroom starts with names
By Meher Sandhu | April 8Growing up with a name that is not easy for everyone to pronounce, I struggled to feel recognized and included in classrooms where teachers did not learn my name. In the past, I had grown accustomed to mispronunciations of my name, undermining my sense of identity in class. Because of this, I know that ...
Opinions
Chang ’27: How Mayor Smiley’s noise cameras can tame Thayer and save our ears
By Victor Chang | April 4I would like to think that the drivers who roar down Thayer Street in their souped-up sports cars and motorized tricycles aren’t trying to make others miserable. Maybe they’re overcompensating — for a lack of length and/or width. Or, perhaps these drivers never grew out of their childhood obsessions ...
Opinions
O'Riordan ’27: Students deserve more transparency before they commit to lifelong loans
By Mary O’Riordan | April 4Depending on where you grew up, you may be familiar with “Payday Loans” or “Cash Advance” shops. These loan offices are known to prey on low-income people in dire financial situations; their high interest rates often end up placing their customers in more debt than when they started. While some ...
Opinions
Valdes ’27: Coming to terms with the pre-med experience
By Camila Valdes | March 22A sulfuric puddle of yolk erupted against the fence, pooling in the cracks of the simmering Havana sidewalk. Having watched me nudge along the small, white “ball” for two blocks, oblivious, my cousins roared with laughter as I stood in shock at the mess on the concrete like a runny yellow punchline. ...
Opinions
Editors’ Note: Clarifying and updating The Herald’s op-ed submission criteria
By 134th Editorial Board | March 20Over the past few months, The Herald has received a multitude of op-ed submissions responding to current campus and community dialogue. In light of this engagement, we want to clarify and update some basic guidelines for op-ed submissions.
Opinions
Guan ’27: The test-optional admission debate isn’t as consequential as we think
By Lucas Guan | March 20Since the Supreme Court ruled affirmative action programs unconstitutional in June 2023, the college admission process has found itself under near-constant scrutiny by commentators. Still, few issues have stirred more controversy than the single question college admissions offices across the country ...
Opinions
Chang ’27: What’s with all the cheaters in CS?
By Victor Chang | March 18When I first came to Brown last fall, it felt as if everyone and their mother was a computer science concentrator. Sure, some people were pursuing economics, but for the most part, computer science seemed to be the new trend among students. Last year, it was the most completed concentration among Brown ...
Opinions
Valdes ’27: Irony won’t save you anymore
By Camila Valdes | March 16It’s 2014. You see a picture of a toddler triumphantly clenching his fist to his chest with the superimposed text, “Ate spaghetti while wearing a white shirt. Didn’t get sauce on it.” You like a comment that says he has “just won the internet for the day.” It’s 2014. This is absolutely ...
Opinions
O'Riordan ’27: Country music is evolving — and we should, too.
By Mary O’Riordan | March 15After Beyoncé’s announcement of her new album “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” one thing is certain: if country music weren’t already on the rise, it certainly is now. The trend of country songs and artists becoming mainstream began in the early 2020s, coinciding almost perfectly with the start of ...
Opinions
Sandhu ’25: The “Barbie” movie deserves more credit than it’s been given
By Meher Sandhu | March 15I have always been drawn to fictional heroines. Throughout my adolescence, I idolized and tried to emulate female characters because I found their strong sense of self, ambition and determination to be extraordinary. In “Barbie,” the titular character’s journey came to represent something even ...
Opinions
Gurjão ’26: Brown needs a more ambitious net-zero target
By Maria Claudia Gurjão Bonaparte | March 13When I toured colleges in 2020, I couldn't help but notice the signs around campus proudly declaring pledges to achieve "net-zero carbon emissions" by 2040 or 2050. While it was encouraging to witness such commitments, especially coming from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, where such pledges were not ...
Opinions
Letter: The dehumanization of Palestinians is inappropriate
By Aboud Ashhab | March 12To the Editor:
Opinions
Editorial: Don’t take reproductive and contraceptive care access for granted
By Editorial Page Board | March 11The Alabama Supreme Court’s recent decision legally defining frozen embryos as children has already limited access within the state to reproductive care, such as in vitro fertilization. This decision is a striking reminder of the privileges we enjoy in a state like Rhode Island and at a school like ...
Opinions
Letter: Vanguard’s climate record undermines Brown’s new ESG retirement fund
By Ben Safran | March 10To the Editor:
Opinions
Verschleiser '25: A note to the silent majority
By Brooke Verschleiser | March 10The violent threats against the leaders of Brown-RISD Hillel have left the Jewish community sad, angry and disgusted. But even more troubling than the threats may be the absence of outrage from the campus community.
Opinions
Clifton GS, Nagelhout GS, Razek GS, Warzer GS: A Response to “An Evening with Jonathan Greenblatt”
By Marah Nagelhout, Sherena Razek, Devon Clifton and Beckett Warzer | March 8On Feb. 22, Brown University’s Office of Institutional Equity and Diversity hosted an event with Jonathan Greenblatt, the CEO of the Anti-Defamation League. As members of the Palestine Solidarity Caucus, we feel obligated to respond to Greenblatt’s remarks. We write with our most forceful condemnation ...
Opinions
Gelman ’25: Walking out of Jonathan Greenblatt’s talk was inappropriate
By Jacob Gelman | March 7On Feb. 22, Brown’s Office for Institutional Equity and Diversity invited Jonathan Greenblatt, president of the Anti-Defamation League, to talk about antisemitism in the United States. The event faced backlash due to Greenblatt’s pro-Zionist stance, specifically his equating of anti-Zionism ...
