Opinions - The Brown Daily Herald

Opinions

Brown faculty call for a ceasefire in Israel-Palestine and the protection of academic freedom and student activism

By Brown University Faculty Members | November 7

Editors’ note: The letter below was first internally circulated to faculty Nov. 2, 2023. This letter has been sent to President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 with additional signatories who opted not to make their names public.We, the undersigned faculty at Brown University, are deeply aggrieved ...

Opinions

An open letter from Jewish students

By a collective of anti-occupation Jews | November 7

“Solidarity is the political version of love.” - Jewish feminist activist Melanie Kaye/Kantrowitz

Opinions

Gupta ’25: How to prepare for and address hook-up 'hangxiety'

By Anusha Gupta | November 5

The word “hangxiety” has recently entered my vocabulary. It describes the feelings of anxiety that accompany a hangover after drinking too much on a night out. If you’ve ever woken up with your heart racing or had uncontrollable thoughts about what you did or said the night before, you have probably ...

Opinions

EDITORIAL: Brown as a sports school? It’s more likely than you think

By Editorial Page Board | November 2

In their editorial, the editorial page board argues that Brown students should embrace — not eschew — the school’s athletics.

Opinions

Malherbe ’26: In a world of problematic artists, who you listen to sends a signal

By Paulie Malherbe | November 2

We are not short on problematic musicians. It feels like every other day a well-known artist makes headlines for an offensive tweet, predatory behavior or saying a slur. Anything awful you can imagine has probably been done by someone with more than 500,000 monthly Spotify listeners.

Opinions

Aizenberg ’26: Should we all donate a kidney to a stranger? Maybe.

By Benjamin Aizenberg | October 31

One morning in 2003, Zell Kravinsky drove to his local hospital, had his kidney removed, and donated it to Donnell Reid, a woman he had met once. Donnell Reid was overcome with happiness — after eight draining years of dialysis, the donation was giving her the chance to have a future. At first glance, ...

Opinions

Rahman ’26: College attainment is dividing America. Non-degree-holders are getting left behind.

By Tasawwar Rahman | October 27

Despite low unemployment, growth in real wages and strong GDP figures, only 19% of Americans characterize the economy as excellent or good, and nearly half of Americans expect things to get worse. Furthermore, America is deeply politically polarized, and while the division historically fell along class ...

Opinions

Hudes ’27: Social media is a harmful forum for political discourse

By Paul Hudes | October 27

With every cycle of disaster, social media explodes with polarizing political content. Instagram becomes a battleground on which individuals are flooded with infographics — some that accurately reflect whatever issues they mean to tackle and some that entirely miss the mark. Many individuals repost ...

Opinions

Letter: Respecting and appreciating differences in responding to war

By Alan Cole | October 26

To the Editor:

Opinions

Editorial: The new payments agreement between Brown and Providence isn’t enough — and the University can still do more

By Editorial Page Board | October 26

In their editorial, the editorial page board argues that while recent voluntary payment agreements — often colloquially called PILOT agreements — between Brown and Providence have passed, students should still put pressure on Brown to do more.

Opinions

Gupta ’25: Let’s make clear communication about our finances and boundaries sexy

By Anusha Gupta | October 25

Sometimes, the difference between a platonic hangout with a friend and a first date can be difficult to ascertain. Brown students may find themselves asking a certain question to determine whether it was friendly or romantic: Did they split the bill, or did one person treat the other?

Opinions

Guan ’27: Even without college rankings, reputation matters whether we like it or not

By Lucas Guan | October 24

In his column, Lucas Guan ’27 argues that ending college rankings wouldn’t end the power of college prestige

Opinions

Malherbe ’26: We can’t fix wealth inequality at Brown until we’re willing to talk about it

By Paulie Malherbe | October 18

In their column, Paulie Malherbe ’26 argues that Brown students cannot fix wealth inequality at the University without honest dialogue about its effects.

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Opinions

Letter: Financial aid matters for medical students

October 17

In his recent column, Tasawwar Rahman ’26 makes it clear that medical school affordability is a major issue at Brown — which I know all too well. Four years ago, I walked through the Van Wickle Gates with friends I had just met over a PLME breakfast. We talked about how we’d attend the Warren ...

Opinions

Chang ’27: Stereotypes about economics are holding the field back

By Victor Chang | October 16

Entering college, I was hesitant about taking an economics course. When I finally did, I often found myself rationalizing the decision to those around me: “Sure, ‘Introduction to Game Theory’ is technically an econ course, but it’s more mathematical than anything else.” I now admit that my ...

Opinions

Gupta ’25: The “love language” framework is flawed — we must love beyond it

By Anusha Gupta | October 13

In her column, Gupta ’25 argues that, while love languages may be a good starting point for establishing relationships, partners shouldn’t restrict themselves to loving a certain way.

Opinions

Rahman ’26: Medical students face an undue burden of debt that schools and stakeholders must work to alleviate

By Tasawwar Rahman | October 11

According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the average physician today graduates with about $200K worth of medical student loan debt. While physicians, who are amongst society’s highest earners, can undoubtedly bear these costs, we ought to consider rethinking how we finance medical ...

Opinions

Noa Brown ’26: Parents deserve better: Brown’s parental leave policy is leaving employees and their children behind

By Noa Brown | October 9

As a student interested in Reproductive Justice, I know that comprehensive paid parental leave is essential to the well-being of families. Brown’s policy, just six weeks of paid leave, is grossly inadequate. It is time the University adopts a new policy that will serve all members of our community ...

Opinions

Hudes ’27: We’ve received yet another call to climate action. How will we respond?

By Paul Hudes | October 6

Upon my arrival at Brown, I was met with a call to climate action — as was every member of the class of 2027 who attended convocation. Professor of Earth, Environmental and Planetary Sciences Kim Cobb, the director of the Institute at Brown for Environment and Society and a member of the White House’s ...

Opinions

Aizenberg ’26: Taylor Swift is a good musician — here’s why she should not be considered one of the greats

By Benjamin Aizenberg | October 5

With the widespread success of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour, many are rushing to crown her as the greatest popstar of all time. Obviously, Taylor Swift’s music is good. It’s catchy. It’s a fun listen. Furthermore, she is prolific, having sold albums in record-breaking numbers, maintaining a position ...