July/August 2013

Gift Guide 2013

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The Graduates

Glimpses of the graduation ceremonies and a breakdown of the number of graduate, undergraduate, and medical degrees.

Slavery's Power

Is slavery a part of of history, or is it still with us? A forum panel discusses where it and how it might still be around.

Into the Himalayas

Thirty-five years later, alums revisit an dangerous expedition that grew out of a Modes of Thought course on exploration.

Robots Here, Robots There

Are robots going to take over our jobs and our minds? Do we need to worry about them at all?

Service

Brown's newest alumni commissioned officers.

Jerry Lewis, Move Over

Alumnae return from TV and comedy clubs to dish on the challenges of female comics and comedy writers.

Earth's Most Privileged People

Baccalaureate speaker and Tougaloo president Beverly Wade Hogan reminds us that with education comes responsibility.

Meet the President

At her first Commencement, President Christina Paxson mingles with alumni and parents.

A Heretic and a Prophet

Harvard Divinity School prof Karen L. King ’84 PhD discusses the papyrus fragment that made her an overnight celebrity.

The Honorary Degrees

The honors went to a movie star, two college presidents, a bacteriologist, a novelist, and a philanthropist.

Obituaries

Obituaries from the July/August 2013 issue.

Mailbox Dreams

An alum finds more than letters inside his old box.

The Road Back to Dad

Too late, a son makes amends with his father.

Game Day

Doing What You Love

If you're an athlete or a sports nut, why not find a job or invent a company that let's you earn a living at it?

Bright Day of Justice

Fifty years ago, on August 28, 1963, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, energizing the civil rights movement. Former Brown president Ruth J. Simmons, just eighteen at the time, reflects on the influence of King on her life and thought, as well as on his continuing inspiration for people seeking freedom and equality today.

Fresh Ink

They're Still Trying

In his new story collection, Sam Lipsyte ’90 writes  about down-and-outers trying to succeed.

The Monstrous Unknown

Playwright Jackie Sibblies Drury ’10 MFA takes a hard look at the subtleties of race in America.

Googling Your Date

TV writer Austin Winsberg ’98 has cowritten a musical on how the Internet can ruin your social life.

Imperfect Trust

An idealistic psychiatrist discovers the dark ways of the only primate species that kills its own children: us.

Documentary

In Seeking Asian Female, Debbie Lum ’91 films dozens of men describing their obsession.

Get Roped In

Rope sculptor Orly Genger ’01 creates art that asks passersby to come inside and explore.

Commencement's Real Stars

Ben Affleck may have been the most famous name at Commencement, but he wasn’t the biggest star. 

Theory and Practice

After years of studying physics, Urmila Chadayammuri '13 now wonders if it makes any difference to the world.

Perseverance Embodied

Le Tran '13 wasn't sure he'd finish high school. Then he returned to his native Vietnam to study its LGBT youth.

Righting Immigrant Rights

Now that she's graduated, El Paso, Texas, native Holly Doerflinger '13 plans to work for immigrants' rights.

On the Trail of the Romá

As an undergrad, rchaeologist Valerie Bondura '13 probed the origins of the Europeans we call gypsies.

Playing Through Pain

The mystery of a puzzling and painful sports injury inspired Alyssa Caplan '13 to become a medical doctor.

Helping South Sudan

A chance African encounter prompted Andrew Ikhyun Kim '13 to help the continent's newest independent state.