ON MARCH 30, The Cavalier Daily ran an opinion column, "A College Upon a Hill," claiming that Brown College at Monroe Hill is a wasted resource due to its insularity and eccentricity. None of the column's allegations are original, yet it touched off the now-annual discussion within Brown regarding our nature, our goals and our relationship with the University at large.In light of the column and that discussion, we'd like to share Brown's perspective.
Let's begin with heady ideals before we discuss current implementations. Residential colleges serve to foster, within a large university, the sense of community typically associated with small liberal arts colleges. Brown College at Monroe Hill, founded in 1986, was the first of three residential colleges at the University. The other two are Hereford, founded in 1991, and the International Residential College, founded in 2001. Each fosters a sense of community by providing its residents with a unique group of peers, faculty and programming. To create the smaller community, they must, by necessity, be different from the larger community and from each other.
We have been accused of being insular, of not being an active contributor to University life.Residential colleges are designed to be focused inward, and the majority of their resources are spent on themselves. That said, Brown is an active contributor to the University. Our academic offerings are open to all students; Brown residents are often in the minority, in fact.Each semester Brown also brings several eminent environmental authors to speak to the University about their work, the most recent being Barry Lopez who spoke in the Dome Room of the Rotunda on March 30. These speakers are always prominently advertised and open to the entire University. In addition, Brown has an active Community Outreach program that frequently does service outside the University, including an annual reading day for Charlottesville children and snow shoveling and raking for the elderly.Our Hauntings on the Hill is one of the most visible charity fundraisers on Grounds.All of this exists in addition to our endeavors to create a thriving community within Brown.
As for our reputation as being out of the mainstream, one has to wonder whether this would be considered an issue if we didn't occupy prime real estate on Central Grounds. While Brown residents certainly permeate the mainstream culture of the University (holding leadership positions in the Jefferson Society, The Cavalier Daily, ROTC programs, athletic teams, Student Council and a capella groups), we are also known for doing wacky things like showing "Lord of the Rings" on the back of our building, hitting each other with foam swords and smoking hookahs. We are not, as some have characterized us, Satan-worshipping nudist Naderites, but we do pride ourselves on being a place where everyone can openly express, think and do what they want. No matter how quirky your idea, there is probably somebody in Brown who thinks it's awesome, and more likely than not, the governance board will give you money for it. The fact that many of our events fall out of the mainstream, then, is one of our greatest strengths. The University already has a multitude of resources for those seeking something homogenous; if Brown fills a niche for quirky, off-beat events, then so be it.
Finally, there is the matter of our (in)famous application. Our prime location gives us the luxury of being selective. When scoring applications we ask ourselves two questions: "Would this person be involved in Brown?" and, "Would I want to live with this person?" To that end, we strive to create an application that lets aspiring residents express their personalities as fully as possible. We don't particularly care about resume-type accomplishments, since they have little bearing on these criteria. To open the admissions process up to a blander application or a pure lottery, as has been proposed from within Brown and without, would dimish the sense of identity that currently makes Brown unique. The process, being subjective, is obviously imperfect, but short of conducting personal interviews with every applicant (which we'd like to do but are currently unable to for logistical reasons), improving the process beyond the incremental seems impossible.
Brown College certainly has its faults.We can always do a better job advertising events.Good people are denied admission every year. The stereotypes that surround us turn off many people who may otherwise love living here. There are many areas in which Brown could be improved, but it should always retain the whimsy, intellect and joy which have made it the distinctive, wonderful place we have called home for four years.
Tim Wallace and Shane Liesegang are the chief officers of the Brown College Governance Board.
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