Columns

Wicken GS: Energy, ingenuity and arch supports

You, dear readers, are a tough lot to keep up with.

Tobias '12: Time to tame tuition

Funding a Brown education is already hard, and it isn't getting any easier. The Corporation just accepted a 3.5 percent increase in tuition for the next academic year, raising total undergraduate tuition and fees to a voluminous $53,136. And that's only for next year. Given the Corporation's past increases ...

Sheffield '11: Nostalgia

The 1960s and early 1970s were a very interesting time to be in college. Sure, being college-age could get you sent off to war, but that led to large demonstrations, which made the period unique. There was free love, drugs and protestors. The University changed its curriculum based on student suggestions, ...

Doren '14: In defense of the IR changes

Mutiny! With last week's announcement of sweeping changes to the international relations curriculum, first-year and sophomore disciples of Brown's second-most popular concentration were up in arms against the administration of the Watson Institute for International Studies for what they deemed to be ...

Uhrick '11: Peeking into the dark corners of history

As I face my graduation and possibly the last semester of my education, I am tempted to look back and ask, "What have I learned?"

Fast '12: The silent treatment

Gov. Lincoln Chafee '75 P'14 recently announced that Rhode Island state employees would be forbidden from speaking with talk radio hosts, arguing that public resources should not "support for-profit, ratings-driven programming."

Norris-LeBlanc '13: The Corporation is back in town!

Yes, everyone, it is once again that time of the year. The body of people who have the final say in every decision pertaining to this University has graced us with its presence and, so to speak, laid down the law. After reading President Ruth Simmons' e-mail to the community informing us of the Corporation's ...

Badami '11: The debate about the Corporation is repetitive and dull

Please, dear reader, don't turn the page.

Najera GS: When we corrupt ourselves

Over 70 years ago, the great educator Robert Hutchins warned a graduating class about corruption. "I am not worried about your economic future," he told them. "I am worried about your morals…Time will corrupt you. Your friends, your wives or husbands, your business or professional associates ...

Nicholson '12.5: Modern love, revisited

Valentine's Day was yesterday. You, reader, are probably aware, as you spent the time either whining about it with friends or dressed in a cheeky outfit in the presence of your loved one. While we may be too affected to dress up for Saint Patrick's Day and too ungrateful to remember Mother's Day, it ...

Waite '11: Settling Catan, winning the future

Trupin '13: A Call for Consumer Activism

This February, as you head to the bookstore in search of a wardrobe that matches your school spirit, something will be a little different. A few of the Brown-emblazoned items will not be your typical Under Armour or Champion brand wear. You may see a hoodie or a tee that says "Alta Gracia" on the label. ...

Morris '88: Don't Ask, Don't ROTC: Why it's still a bad idea

Over winter break, Congress finally eliminated the discriminatory doctrine of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." We should be proud that one more vestige of legal discrimination has finally fallen away. Over many years, opponents of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps have asserted that the University should ...

Wicken GS: (Some Of) The British Are (Sort of) (Still) Coming!

During the break, dear reader, I chanced across an astonishing car commercial. You might have seen it. The one where the Dodge Challenger defeats the Redcoats, heralding the dawn of a new nation that gets "two things right: cars and freedom." "Auto-industry bailout!" I spluttered. "PATRIOT Act!" Before ...

Johnson '11: Walk a mile in my waterproof boots

It starts with a sinking feeling in your chest that moves all the way up to your throat. You're not sure whether to cry out in despair or to stoically weather the embarrassment. After a few seconds, a chilling throb of pain seizes your foot, making it seem to weigh six tons. What is drowned beneath ...

Villegas GS: No discipline of the body: OMAC schedule fails recreational users

I would like to express my displeasure towards how the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center's schedule is relayed to recreational users. The OMAC administration must make a publicly accessible and regularly updated schedule for the Brown community at large.

Rosenbloom '13: ROTC and the tyranny of the masses

Democracy and freedom are often assumed to be codependent. In truth, these two concepts are often in direct conflict. In many cases, majorities vote to rob minorities of freedom. This despotism of the masses can be seen throughout the world. It can also be seen right here at Brown.

Sheffield '11: Pirates of the Narragansett: curse of the Brown pearl

Brown students are kind, sharing people. As The Herald reported last week ("Despite enforcement, copyright violations steady in recent years," Feb. 3), the University received reports of roughly 750 copyright violations by students. As most of the reported violations come from distributing copyrighted ...

Tobias '12: Solving a "sinning" state's budget

Rhode Island, like much of the nation, is facing a major fiscal crisis. The state has a projected 2012 deficit of $295 million due mostly to rising costs, declining revenue and the loss of federal stimulus money. In his recent opinions column, Hunter Fast '12 ("Just say ‘no' (to the nanny state)," ...

Yu '11: Tiger mother? Dragon lady

Over this past winter break, I realized, with some surprise, that my Chinese-speaking, Chinese literature-teaching parents who reside in China are not, in fact, Chinese parents.  How did I come to this somewhat random and seemingly illogical realization? I used my extraordinary skills to reflect ...