Brown and the administration of Providence Mayor David Cicilline ’83 have clashed in the State House this year, with both pushing legislation the other opposes.

Today, the University sprawls over most of College Hill. But since it cleared 51 houses to build Wriston Quad, growth has brought controversy when Brown’s boundaries have blurred.

It sounds like the beginning of a joke: What do an elite Ivy League university and the third-poorest public school district in the nation have in common?

It can be easy to forget while hurrying from class to class that not everyone on College Hill is a student. But Providence is not just a college town, and the streets surrounding Brown are filled with people who have long ago ceased to lead the student life.

In fewer than two years, Brown’s new Medical Education Building will welcome its first class of students. But looking at the building now, it is hard to tell.