Brown University Shooting: Crisis Amoung Leadership

by Kaelynd Brouillette ’29 on January 22, 2026

Opinion - Campus

On Dec. 13, 2025, I was sitting in my boyfriend’s dorm, watching college football. Just after 4 p.m. I received a news alert to my phone from AP News, which immediately sent me into a state of fear, grief, and sadness. There had been a shooting at Brown University, a mere 10 minutes from our campus. This event was tragic, ending the lives of Ella Cook and Mukhammed Aziz Umurzokov and injuring nine others. Being a smaller city, Providence has a great sense of interconnectedness, allowing this event to reverberate throughout many neighborhoods and institutions in Providence. In the days that followed this all-too-normalized event, anxiety, grief, and institutional uncertainty began to take precedent, which exposed weaknesses in communication, leadership, and response on our campus, and ultimately led to the cancellation of all final exams on our campus, with some professors holding online ones instead. Providence College’s decision to cancel in-person finals was shaped by fear, student pressure, and an inadequate safety response, raising serious questions about crisis leadership.

Throughout many social media platforms, including YikYak, there was a general consensus about the lack of communication and information provided by our college’s Public Safety department, which amplified the uncertainty. The shooting occurred around 4:03 p.m., and students did not receive any notification from Public Safety until 5:43 p.m. This message, along with the alerts that followed, was vague and lacked reassurance, pushing many students into a further state of panic, with many going home the same day or the next morning. The absence of concrete information was not just a theme on campus, but throughout the Providence Police Department and other investigative units. Students relied on social media rather than official channels due to the repetitive nature of the press conferences held by Providence’s mayor, Brett Smiley, as well as other safety officials in our area. The confusion and lack of information provided fueled uncertainty and panic, which left room for speculation and fear to grow. Strong, timely, and transparent communication could have reduced unrest and uncertainty, allowing students to better judge the situation and allow grief to supersede fear. In the absence of clarity, students filled the void themselves.

I recall opening YikYak not long after this tragedy took place, just to see one of the top posts being about the desire for finals being cancelled. Student pressure escalated quickly, with emails to professors and administration, social media campaigns and petitions, and the framing of finals as unsafe and emotionally impossible. This is not to say that the grief and fear were not real. Nonetheless, for some students, the ongoing situation became a justification to get out of taking finals.

On Dec. 15, the decision was made by our administration to cancel all in-person exams, with many professors cancelling exams altogether as a safety and mental health measure. The decision, from a student perspective, appeared to be reactive rather than strategic. Student pressures and pushback made the decision almost impossible for administration. The options were to either have exams, and lose the trust and respect of some of our student body, or move finals online or cancel them altogether, which begs the question of academic fairness and equity.

The lack of clear threat assessment made the move feel disproportionate to the situation at hand, without taking away from the tragedy itself. There was also a sense of the decision that was left up to professor discretion, which made for inconsistency that left students feeling more stressed. Students may have benefited from a more uniform and cohesive decision, rather than one that left room for unpredictability. This put students at a disadvantage, as many did not know about the state of their exams until up to the day before. Many students were delighted by the ultimate decision of cancellation, some for the purpose of feeling unsafe on campus, understandably, but some because of the convenience of no longer having the academic pressure. Students who spent time, effort, and prepared honestly for these exams, such as myself, lost the chance to demonstrate their work and improve their overall grade, while others personally benefited from cancellations without the same academic effort. Overall, although the decision could be deemed as what is best for our students, it could have been done with more consistency and by taking equity into account.

The event that occurred on Dec. 13 is not to be taken lightly. It demands respect for the victims, grief for the Providence community, and commitment to change and reform. Tragedy demands empathy, but also clarity and leadership. The communications from Public Safety and administration matter, student voices matter, but institutions must resist making permanent academic decisions in moments of panic. Crisis should strengthen campus leadership, not expose fragility. In the end, the situation serves as a reminder that navigating tragedy requires careful balance between compassion and structure, urgency and deliberation, and student voices and institutional responsibility.

Birdies Hot Chicken: A Hot New Restaurant on the Block

by Andrew Auclair ’29 on December 11, 2025

A&E - Food Reviews

Over by Brown University, right off of Thayer Street, a new hot chicken spot has opened up, adding a new flair to the already food-packed lineup. Birdies Hot Chicken is a small chain restaurant with a menu adjacent to the world-famous hot chicken joint, Dave’s Hot Chicken, but brings it closer to home in Providence, RI. Its other locations are in Brockton, New Bedford, Boston, and Westwood, MA, with our local installation opening this past October. I found out about this new food spot while I was downtown getting a much overdue haircut at The Barbershop on College Hill. I knew there were a lot of great spots to eat around Brown, and my dad was texting me about this new chicken spot. I sat down in the barber chair and made some small talk with the barber, and when I asked about Birdies, he seemed very enthusiastically in favor of it. He told me I should order the two chicken sliders with fries, and that if I could handle spice, order it spicy. At that point, I was dead-set on where I was going to get dinner that night.

I walked in, and the vibes were great, with art on the walls, friendly employees, lots of places to sit, and spotless tabletops. Regardless of whether I can actually handle spice, I certainly enjoy it, so I ordered exactly what my barber had advised: two spicy chicken sliders with fries (plus a bottle of water, of course). The service was fast, and even though the restaurant has counter-style ordering, the worker brought my order right to my table and cheerily said to enjoy my meal. The presentation was amazing, and the portion was honestly huge. For what I ordered, it was only about $17.50, but it was plenty of food.

The chicken itself was super fresh and cooked to perfection. Sometimes, with fried food, my stomach gets upset if the oil is too old or the food is overcooked, but I had no problem with this meal whatsoever. The pickles and slaw that came on the sliders added the perfect amount of sweetness to the extremely savory and spicy chicken. Thank God I ordered that water, because this chicken had a real kick. The potato bun was sweet enough, but also soaked up the spice from the chicken perfectly, making every bite truly delicious. The fries were pretty alright; with so much food on the plate already, by the time I got to the fries, I wasn’t able to finish them, but they seemed to be cooked pretty well. On the side was a small cup of their house sauce, which I believe is what they drizzled on top of the chicken sliders. It was pretty good, almost like Raising Cane’s “Cane’s Sauce.” About halfway through my meal, a completely separate worker came over to every single table and asked the customers how they were enjoying their meals. This is just one example of the great customer service they exhibited, despite being a counter-service restaurant.

In the Thayer Street area, there is plenty of competition for the best spot in town. Birdies held their own and is a very strong contender for the title. Overall, Birdies Hot Chicken was a great experience, and if you’re in the mood for some amazing hot chicken but don’t want to take the train all the way to Boston, then Birdies on 183 Angell St., Providence, RI, has you covered.

Take a Chance

by John Downey '23 on September 18, 2022
A&E Co-Editor

A&E - Music

Local Musician Chance Emerson Making Big Strides

Chance Emerson is no stranger to success.

The self-proclaimed “half-Asian singing cowboy” has gone from playing packed events at his alma mater, Brown University, to playing shows all around the country. Backed by an all-star band, Emerson has toured some remarkable venues and has played with a shocking array of talent.

Prior to the pandemic, Emerson was starting to make waves, playing at packed college parties with his band, The Clementines. In addition, he made appearances at prestigious events such as the Newport Folk Festival. The music he released was also well received. Even his early works, such as his 2017 EP The Indigo Tapes, were putting up numbers on Spotify.

In March 2020, right before everything shut down, Emerson released an album called The Raspberry Men. An intoxicating blend of indie, pop, and folk, the album received praise up and down the board, including a review in the Providence Journal. The lead single from the album, “How Can I,” even surpassed one million streams on Spotify.

During the pandemic, Emerson kept busy back home in Taiwan, writing and releasing music, as well as filming a video for the song “Gloria Gracie.” Once things began to reopen, Emerson was more than ready to get back into the swing of things. Reunited with his band, he accomplished the very impressive feat of selling out The Met in Pawtucket, RI, a 650-person capacity venue. This fully established the return of the legend from Brown University.

After this point, Emerson and co. began making moves outward. Playing on a number of college campuses, they built their fanbase exponentially due to their lively mix of originals and covers, as well as the synergy between the musicians. Emerson also played some high-profile shows in New York, including selling out the famous Chelsea Music Hall. From there, he traveled down to Tennessee and played some shows in Nashville, which is no small accomplishment. After that, he got an even bigger opportunity: opening for Mike Campbell of Tom Petty fame as well as Nancy Wilson of Heart– a dream come true for many musicians.

Coming up, Emerson has a tour set up with none other than Blues Traveler. With these 90s stars, he will play shows in Connecticut, Virginia, and Ohio. Touring is another dream for many musicians, especially with such an established act.

The question is, how does Emerson do it? One answer is that he has help from a manager: none other than Providence College alum Will Best ’20. Local booking agency Small Victories has also helped Emerson pack his Rhode Island shows, with the two parties helping each other bring people to the shows. Another reason for Emerson’s success is how tight his band is. The four to five musicians on stage all sound very well-rehearsed, and each plays their part to make the experience the best possible. While each musician is very talented, there is not a lot of flashiness in Emerson’s performances, which helps endear them to audiences. The third answer also endears Emerson and his band to the audience, and that is his good nature. Emerson’s songs are honest yet positive; at the very least, they are not self-deprecating. This is truly rare in today’s music, which is often very depressing. Because of this, the wistful lyrics, the buoyant instrumentation, and Emerson’s down to Earth persona draw people to him and his music. It is a winning combo that has proven valuable time and time again.

To check out Chance Emerson’s music and tour schedule, follow @chance.s.emerson on Instagram.