Editorials

Mayor Brett Smiley speaking behind a wooden podium with microphones attached to it.

Editorial: Brett Smiley for Providence Mayor

By Editorial Page Board | September 6

Editorials are written by The Herald’s editorial page board, and its views are separate from those of The Herald’s newsroom and the 136th Editorial Board, which leads the paper. A majority of the editorial page board voted in favor of this piece. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com ...

Dissent: David Morales for Providence Mayor

By Evan Tao | September 6

Dissenting Opinions: When The Herald’s editorial page board disagrees, members have the opportunity to publish a dissent to explain why they voted against the editorial. Editorials — and dissents, if any — are written by members of The Herald’s editorial page board, which is separate from those ...

Editorial: Brown must grapple with its relationship with the United States

By Editorial Page Board | April 24

Last week, Yale released a report arguing that universities share responsibility for the nation’s loss of trust in higher education. Trust in private universities — along with the reputation of the Ivy League — is especially depressed. Faith in higher education reached a historic low of 36% in ...

Photo of University Hall with a snowy lawn in front.

Editorial: Brown does not view Providence as a playground

By Editorial Page Board | April 16

Brown and Providence are fundamentally intertwined. The University’s successes benefit the city, and the city’s culture benefits Brown. Brown supports Providence with millions of dollars annually through direct community contributions, by employing locals and investing in the city’s workforce ...

Editorial: The recent UCS referendum epitomizes the council’s pitfalls

By Editorial Page Board | April 8

On March 20, the Undergraduate Council of Students sent an email to all undergraduates asking them to vote in a referendum on proposed changes to the UCS constitution. The email stated that the referendum’s amendments included “the removal of gendered language, the adoption of required language ...

Editorial: Brown needs to rethink its pre-orientation programs

By Editorial Page Board | March 31

This fall, incoming first-year students at universities across the country will have the opportunity to go backpacking, do community service or explore the arts as part of their campus’s pre-orientation programs. These programs offer an opportunity for students to forge friendships and explore new ...

A photo of the Van Wickle Gates closed on a sunny day.

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Dissent: Let faculty run their own meetings

By Evan Tao | March 15

I once had a class where we read and discussed a book written by the professor. On the day of the discussion, he chose to leave the room because he knew that even though we all had good intentions, we wouldn’t feel comfortable criticizing his work to his face, largely because he was in a position ...

A photo of Sayles Hall on the Main Green covered in snow.

Opinions

Editorial: Faculty representatives are to blame for faculty meeting grievances — not Paxson

By Editorial Page Board | March 15

Nearly two weeks ago, faculty members narrowly passed a motion to replace President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 as the presiding officer of the University’s monthly faculty meeting. The role will now be assumed by the chair of the Faculty Executive Committee, Brown’s central steering body ...

A photo of the Van Wickle Gates covered in snow.

Opinions

Editorial: Testing students shouldn’t test their schedules — hold midterms in class

By Editorial Page Board | March 6

Currently, Brown does not have a policy regulating when professors may schedule exams. Some of the largest STEM classes at Brown, such as CHEM 0350: “Organic Chemistry I,” PHYS 0030: “Basic Physics A” and MATH 0180: “Multivariable Calculus,” require students to sit for exams outside their ...

Photo of Sayles Hall with snow surrounding it.

Opinions

Editorial: What happened at Columbia reminds us the University has little recourse against ICE

By Editorial Page Board | February 27

At roughly 6:30 a.m. Thursday, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested Columbia senior Elmina Aghayeva in her university-owned apartment. The agents entered the building under false pretenses — allegedly impersonating police officers and claiming to be searching for a missing child. ...

Opinions

Editorial: Ditch Canvas — bring back the printed course reader

By Editorial Page Board | February 20

Digital devices have become an essential part of learning. We use laptops and tablets to do our readings, take notes and write code. But they can also distract from our learning: While one tab may hold a PDF, another might offer a temptation to text, scroll or shop. In 2015 and 2024, the editorial page ...

A photo of a large old stone building, Sayles Hall.

Opinions

Dissent: Rent stabilization will not fix Providence’s housing crisis

By Avery Kaak , Beatriz Lindemann, Isabella Gardiner, Ethan Canfield and Tasawwar Rahman | February 13

The editorial page board has identified the obvious: Providence faces a cost-of-living crisis that is harming working and middle-class families. They have aptly noted that the state places last in new housing development, and have commended the City Council’s push for rent stabilization as a way out ...

Black and white photo of a brick apartment building and stop light.

Opinions

Editorial: Providence’s housing crisis demands the immediate action proposed by the rent stabilization ordinance

By Editorial Page Board | February 13

Currently, Providence residents are struggling to afford their rent. When our city is faced with a problem as severe as unaffordable housing, political action which aims to protect citizens’ ability to stay in their homes ought to be encouraged. On Jan. 22, a majority of the Providence City Council ...

Photo of a red brick building in between two large trees.

Opinions

Editorial: Brown’s workforce development grants are an opportunity to invest in the future of R.I. education

By Editorial Page Board | February 6

Last week, Brown announced the distribution of the first $3 million of the $50 million in workforce development grants the University agreed to pay in its July agreement with the federal government. $1.5 million of the initial grants will go toward the Community College of Rhode Island to increase the ...

Opinions

Editorial: Now is the time to overhaul Brown’s building access system

By Editorial Page Board | January 30

In the wake of the Dec. 13 shooting, President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 announced a number of security upgrades that would be implemented across campus. These changes include installing card readers in buildings that previously used physical locks and keys, requiring students to swipe their ...

Photo of a black Brown card-swipe reader with a red light against a silver wall background.

Opinions

Editorial: After Dec. 13, Brown must confront its public safety failures

By Editorial Page Board | January 23

After the murder of two of our classmates, Ella Cook ’28 and Mukhammad Aziz Umurzokov ’29, and the injury of nine others, Brunonians rushed to leave campus. Just over one month later, as we return to College Hill, the University we love is not the same without Umurzokov and Cook. This semester will ...

Photo of a blue vertical sign which reads "POLICE" in capital letters, with a building and a police car visible in the background.

Opinions

Editorial: Brown and RISD should pursue deeper integration

By Editorial Page Board | December 5

As neighbors on College Hill, Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design are natural partners for collaboration. Brown is a leading Ivy League research university, and RISD is the nation’s premier art school. Capitalizing on these strengths, our universities share an undergraduate dual-degree program, ...

Opinions

Editorial: When it comes to the changes to program housing, the University’s agreement with the federal government cannot be ignored

By Editorial Page Board | November 21

In July, the University entered a voluntary resolution with the Trump Administration to settle civil-rights investigations and restore federal funding. With over $500 million in contracts and grants at stake, we supported this settlement, viewing it as an effective balance between maintaining the University’s ...

Opinions

Editorial: Brown must oppose the Providence Student Impact Fee

By Editorial Page Board | November 14

Providence was recently ranked the least affordable city for renters in America. To address the cost-of-living crisis, the Providence City Council plans to embark on an ambitious housing and affordability agenda. One proposal on the table is a Student Impact Fee, which would require college students ...

Aerial photo of College Hill viewed from Fox Point, with houses and University buildings scattered among green trees.

Opinions

Editorial: A weeklong Thanksgiving break is something we’d be thankful for

By Editorial Page Board | November 6

Situated between the chaos of midterms and the impending stress of finals, Thanksgiving offers a coveted opportunity for Brunonians to visit loved ones and take time off from our campus commitments. But Brown’s academic calendar provides only three days off during the week of Thanksgiving. Although ...

Photo of a student walking across the Main Green towards Sayles Hall.