Brown's reputation is that of a particularly activist-friendly university, but some students engaged in a variety of causes say the environment falls short of the hype. Is the Brown activist stereotype just a remnant of another era when Brown students cared more about their world? Though student and faculty opinions vary, most seem to agree that Brown students don't stand outside holding signs as often as they're given credit for.
Scott Warren '09 came to Brown in part because of the University's activist reputation, and, in his one year on College Hill, he has successfully organized the Darfur Action Network's divestment campaign. "Brown was sort of this liberal activist Mecca - and the liberal is definitely true," he said.
A veteran of several campus activist groups, Yesenia Barragan '08 agreed with Warren. "When I came to Brown I imagined that it would have been more radical," she said. "When I came here I did find a good amount of students who were interested in doing more radical activities," but they represent a small minority of Brunonians. Students generally support the Democratic Party line, she said, but are rarely in favor of anything to the left of it.
Though these observations present an anecdotal picture of activism at Brown, Zachary Townsend '08 hopes to formalize this history of activism by compiling research on the subject as part of a Royce Fellowship this summer. "You come to Brown and you have this dream that Brown is not going to be like the rest of the world," he said. Though he said the Brown community tends to care more about global issues than communities elsewhere, this awareness doesn't characterize a majority of those on campus.
"Most people are not that discontent (with leading) overly academic, silver spoon lives," he said. Nevertheless, Brown's activist reputation persists because it has been institutionalized, Townsend said.
But the relatively infrequent appearance of protesters on campus does not mean Brunonians are apathetic or care less about effecting change.
"You can be activist without being radical," Townsend said, adding many students maintain a "false dichotomy in their head - you either do nothing, or you have a protest." But fewer public efforts can often be more effective, he said, and it may be impossible to convince enough people to participate in a protest to make it effective. "You shouldn't throw a protest just to have a protest," Townsend said.
Elizabeth Sperber '06, the founder of several groups including Operation Iraqi Freedom, defended the validity of protests, regardless of their impact. "(Activists are) always hopeful that the things that you do, do have an impact," she said.
But, she added, reality is not lost on activists either: "We don't expect to be moving mountains anytime soon." Simply raising awareness of issues and subjecting them to dialogue is valuable, she said, adding that activism has the greatest effect when a variety of methods are engaged simultaneously and work together in concert.
The protest in favor of divestment was essentially a "waste of resources," Townsend said, because the Brown Corporation had all but decided to divest already. He said one student who founded an anti-police brutality group and successfully lobbied for related legislation provides a good example of activism through institutions.
"People don't think of that as activism because he didn't wave signs," Townsend said. Still, he added, "I wish there were more people (engaged in activist groups) if for no other reason that it would restore one's faith in the activist student at Brown."
What activism does exist, Townsend said, contributes to what he considers University administrators' unique attention to student concerns. This may be "in a way, necessitated by the activism," he said.
Transfer student Claire Harlam '08 arrived at Brown this semester from Barnard College, where she was a member of Columbia University's International Socialist Organization. So far, Harlam said Brown strikes her as less of an activist hotbed than Columbia, where protests seemed omnipresent, perhaps because Columbia is in New York City and not all demonstrations are affiliated with the university.
On the other hand, Harlam said she meets "more people who are further left or have more extreme politics at Brown." Yet there is no ISO on campus. "Political affiliations that are not Democratic or Republican are not really organizing," she said.
Questions persist about who is organizing, how often they do so and whether it matters. A disruptive protest during a lecture given by Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., two weeks ago highlighted questions about the usefulness and validity of different kinds of protests.
Professor of English and anti-war activist William Keach said the view that the protest during the senator's speech was inappropriate subscribes to ideals of decorum and respect. But he said he believes even "conflicted speech" can be valuable "where the issue is so grave ... and you have a chance to confront (a responsible individual) in public."
Though shouting in lectures may not be what some aspiring activists had in mind when they came here, Warren and Sperber argue there are plenty of forms of activism still alive at Brown - even if the University's climate does not quite match their expectations.
