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University News

University awarded $2.4 million in CARES funding in April, will announce distribution plan in coming weeks

By Mia Barzilay Freund | February 1

The University was awarded $2.4 million in federal stimulus funding April 26 through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act but has yet to distribute the funds, which are designated for the provision of emergency financial aid grants for students. The award provides federal support ...

Metro

Education NGO founded by Brown graduates partners with Providence Public School District

By Suzie Zhang | February 1

Connect: College Access Tutors, an organization founded by Julian Jacobs ’19 and Abel Girma ’18, has partnered with Providence Public School District to offer free college essay tutoring to its students. The organization has 87 registered volunteers, more than half of which are Brown graduates, ...

Metro

R.I. joins D.C., other states in equity-driven pledge to reduce transportation sector carbon emissions

By Mike Kuharski | February 1

Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo signed a Transportation and Climate Initiative Program Memorandum of Understanding Dec. 21 stating Rhode Island’s commitment to reducing carbon emissions from the transportation sector. Specifically, the TCI-P aims to reduce carbon emissions by 26 percent by 2032 ...

Science & Research

Brown neuroscience professor David Badre illustrates the science of cognitive control in first book

By Claire Liu | February 1

David Badre, professor of cognitive, linguistic and psychological sciences, released his first book “On Task: How Our Brain Gets Things Done” in early November. Badre’s debut book explores the topic of cognitive control, the process through which individuals connect goals, thoughts and norms ...

University News

Investment office leader Joe Dowling departs from Brown

By Jon Zhang | February 1

Joseph “Joe” Dowling left his role as chair of the University’s Investment Office Jan. 12 to become global co-head of Blackstone Alternative Asset Management, according to a University press release. Dowling was hired as the Brown Investment Office’s chief investment officer and vice president ...

Sports

Coaches prepare to move to Ivy League Phase One of athletic participation

By Amelia Spalter | February 1

The Department of Athletics is planning to move into phase one of the Ivy League’s COVID-19 restrictions surrounding athletic activity on Thursday, according to a head coaches meeting held Monday morning with Interim Athletics Director Colin Sullivan. The University, which will make the ultimate ...

Science & Research

Study indicates global shift in sleep patterns after COVID-19 lockdown

By Benjamin Schornstein | January 31

A significant shift in sleep patterns was observed worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic among a group of more than 100,000 people whose sleep data was analyzed in a study led by Jeff Huang, associate professor of computer science and key member of the Human-Computer Interaction Lab. “In most countries, ...

University News

The Bruno Brief: Brown & millions of dollars in federal pandemic aid

By Ben Glickman | January 31

In the first-ever episode of The Bruno Brief, The Herald’s new weekly podcast that digs deep into a standout story from the past week, we talk to senior staff writer Mia Freund about the University’s plans regarding millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 stimulus funding. Under the new Coronavirus ...

University News

The College Board eliminates SAT Subject Tests and optional essay

By Will Kubzansky | January 31

The College Board announced Jan. 19 that it will discontinue SAT Subject Tests and the optional essay section on the SAT, marking a significant change to the status quo of standardized testing in college admissions. While the tests offered colleges an understanding of an applicant’s knowledge in ...

Metro

New draft of Providence affordable housing plan adds details, community input

By Victoria Yin | January 31

A new draft of the City of Providence’s long-term affordable housing plan, released December 2020, added more detail and incorporated community input, according to the coordinators of the project. Those familiar with the plan, the initial draft of which was released in August, said its impact on the ...

University News

Faculty reflect on online teaching during pandemic

By Casandra Gutierrez | January 31

Though campus has entered Modified Activity Level 2, which allows in-person classes of 19 students or fewer to meet in person, the majority of courses remain fully online. Currently, 852 courses are fully virtual, while 608 courses are hybrid, according to Courses@Brown. Three University professors ...

Science & Research

The COVID Pod with Dr. Ashish Jha: Vaccinating the Nation, Two Doses at a Time

By Cate Ryan, Emilija Sagaityte and Rahma Ibrahim | January 29

The COVID Pod is back in 2021 with more insight from Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University Ashish Jha. On this episode, The COVID Pod team takes a look at vaccine administration — what has been done so far and where it is going to go in the next few months. Dr. Jha shares his experience ...

Sports

Director of Athletics Jack Hayes steps down

By Ryan Handel | January 29

Director of Athletics Jack Hayes will leave his position at the University, effective Feb. 5, to become a senior adviser to Bruin Sports Capital and “pursue new opportunities,” according to a Friday press release. Deputy Director of Athletics Colin Sullivan will serve as interim athletic director ...

University News

VP Carey: University feels “confident” moving to modified Campus Activity Level 2 as positive cases remain “relatively steady”

By Claire Liu | January 28

Twenty-nine COVID-19 tests returned positive this week for University members enrolled in the asymptomatic testing program, of which 21 were students and eight were employees, according to Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 MA’06. The number of positive cases per ...

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University News

First COVID-19 vaccines distributed on College Hill, timeline for widespread distribution remains uncertain

By Livia Gimenes | January 28

The broader undergraduate population could receive their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as early as the end of this semester, supplies permitting, Associate Vice President for Campus Life and Executive Director of Health and Wellness Vanessa Britto MMSc’96 speculates. As part of Phase 1 of the ...

University News

Brown eligible for $6.9 million of funding from new coronavirus stimulus bill

By Mia Barzilay Freund | January 28

The University plans to apply for the nearly $6.9 million of funding for which it is eligible under a new Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA) signed into law by former President Donald Trump Dec. 27. This funding comes as the latest installment in a timeline of ...

Metro

Community members worry that increase of off-campus college students pushes local residents out

By Laura David | January 28

In a housing market that was already struggling to keep up with demand, the University’s expansion of off-campus housing permission amid the COVID-19 pandemic have triggered concerns among both locals and some Brown students that an influx of students into nearby Providence neighborhoods will push ...

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Metro

Brown’s Public Education Committee meets in the midst of state takeover

By Sameer Sinha | January 28

The University’s Public Education Committee discussed the allocation of a $10 million Fund for the Education of the Children of Providence at its inaugural meeting in January. The allocation comes at a crucial time for the Providence Public School District, which is currently in the midst of a state ...

University News

BDS navigates meal planning, prep, pickup as campus quarantines

By Jack Walker | January 28

Gail McCarthy, a beloved Brown Dining Services cashier, found herself doing much more than her typical role of swiping ID cards and doling out smiles during the spring semester’s unusual start. McCarthy, along with a number of Dining Services staff, worked to prepare and bag the 7,000 meals produced ...

Metro

Raimondo discusses China, census, climate change during Senate committee confirmation hearing

By Benjamin Pollard | January 27

“I know the pain that losing a job can cause a family,” Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo said in her opening statement during her Senate commerce committee confirmation hearing for the role of Secretary of Commerce in the Biden administration, mentioning her family’s struggle following her father’s ...