As an elite institution with a liberal reputation, Brown is ideally placed to take the lead on progressive initiatives. We are an activist community with a student body that has consistently fought for change. Last year in particular, students successfully pushed for new dialogue on race and diversity ...
I love books. I love losing myself in their depths and beholding the power of their language. When I read them, I feel the barrier around my mind dissolve so my thoughts can blend with those of the authors. This gives me a kind of joy that I cannot find anywhere else. But the joy I feel when I’m immersed ...
The beginning of my senior year at Brown is not going according to plan. Growing up, and even as a first-year student, I looked up to college seniors as people who had everything figured out and were ready to transition seamlessly to adulthood. Though I imagine that’s an accurate description of some ...
Some words of encouragement for those first-week jitters: If you’re reading this article, you’re already one of the most educated people ever to exist. That’s not because you go to Brown, or even because you can read, but because you have access to everything humanity has ever figured out just ...
There is no doubt that we are in the midst of a historic election season. There is, of course, the unorthodox candidacy of Donald Trump and the similarly groundbreaking story of Hillary Clinton as the first woman nominated by a major party. But beyond these talking points, the upcoming election is an ...
Three weeks ago, I signed up to offer advice and tips to my advisor’s incoming first-year advisees over an hour-long meeting. In preparation for the discussion, he sent me a couple of New York Times articles: one about how one’s perception of their own intelligence can have a dramatic effect on ...
On a recent car ride with my family, I attempted to do the impossible. I tried to explain memes to my mother. This quest was hampered by two things. The first: My mom does not have any sort of social media, despite her well-guided attempts to spy on her good Asian children 24/7. The second: My sister ...
Recently, the University of Chicago released a high-profile letter welcoming its incoming class of 2020. Authored by Dean of Students John Ellison, the bold statement claimed that due to the university’s commitment to “freedom of inquiry and expression,” it would not tolerate “so-called ‘trigger ...
Langston Hughes once asked an eternally relevant question: whether a dream deferred dries up, like a raisin in the sun. Despite every challenge, we have held onto our dreams. Instead of shriveling up, our dreams, watered by the sweat of our labor, on this day bear fruit. Graduation seemed so far away ...
On the morning of April 23, I found myself walking with a group of Muslim students from Faunce Arch to India Point Park for our end-of-year picnic. It was the last major organized event hosted by the Brown Muslim Students Association, and it would likewise be the last one I would attend as an undergraduate. ...
I have a red-and-black print of an Andy Warhol quote on my wall: “The world fascinates me.” For as long as I can remember, this has been true. As a child, I grew up walking the botanical gardens in Singapore, learning badminton in Jakarta and systematically numbing my taste buds with as much spicy ...
As Commencement draws near, graduating seniors all over campus are reflecting on our time at Brown. Some memories are common to the Brown experience: all-nighters in the Sciences Library, losing friends at Spring Weekend and post-exam Blue Room muffins (or is that just us?). Increasingly however, we’ve ...
The summer after my junior year was filled with ambivalence. On one hand, I could not wait to live off campus with my friends and see everyone again. On the other hand, I knew that every day closer to the start of the academic year meant a day closer to graduation and the Great Unknown. I was interning ...
My journey to Brown began with a warning. It was an autumn afternoon, and I was sitting in an attorney’s office close to home. Pulling at the fabric of my suit pants, I was both eager and anxious at the same time. I constantly adjusted my tie in nervous expectation. Months before matriculating at ...
Anyone who followed March Madness this year will remember “The Shot.” With fewer than five seconds to play in the NCAA National Championship game and overtime looming, Villanova University’s Kris Jenkins caught a pass, set his feet and delivered one of the greatest game-winning shots in the history ...
Brown may not have the largest endowment, but what it lacks in capital, it makes up for in personality. When I first got to Brown, I was taken in by the cherry blossoms and cheery spirits. And though on my worst days I will tell you that it was all a lie, in truth, at least the latter half has remained ...
A few days before I left for my first year at Brown, I was just starting to pack, and my mom and I were arguing. My mom asked again: “Are you sure you don’t want to bring your saxophone?” I scoffed at her. “No way,” I insisted, as though the suggestion were completely ludicrous. “I’m never ...
It was raining the day the class of 2016 was supposed to walk through the Van Wickle Gates for Convocation. We did not walk through as a class but individually, once the storm had subsided. That first day four years ago, my first thought was “do I belong here?” Symbolized by that lack of cohesive ...
Some of my earliest childhood memories take place in Geoff’s Superlative Sandwiches. I am eye-level with the huge anthropomorphized sandwich painted on the front counter. The sandwich and I are staring at each other and graffiti covers the brick walls. During rides up and down New England, my family ...
As opinions editors, we have a vested interest in how the Brown community forms and expresses opinions. And as Brown students, we acknowledge that our privilege affords us the opportunity to deeply explore topics of importance, whether that takes place at 2 a.m. in a Keeney lounge or with a professor ...
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