In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. After him came Vasco da Gama, Cortés, Pizarro and a whole slew of other Spanish and Portuguese explorers who set off to find the "New World." In high school we learned that these were great men — fearless explorers, pioneers of their time. They set sail for uncharted territories with feathered caps, ready to face death and hardship with equanimity.
Then we grew up and went to college. We learned about the nature of history, specifically that it is often written by the winners. It became more evident that these men were not exploring because they had a great sense of adventure, but because they were trying to extend the borders of their respective empires by colonizing territories in the Western hemisphere. Much like the day we realized the Easter Bunny doesn't exist, we heartbreakingly realized that these "great" men were out to pillage, rape and kill native peoples to further their own careers. We were forced to replace the image of their indomitable spirit with a narrative about colonial empires and their motivations to expand and conquer.
Fast forward about 500 years, during which the biggest and most powerful empires in the world have colonized everything, fought a great deal of wars concerning territorial disputes, and have created a map of the world with at least fairly stable borders. It is no longer acceptable to conquer in the same way it used to be, and although many countries are still doing it subversively, overt colonization is now frowned upon. We have entered the age of economic empires, where the power to expand is defined more by capital than weapons technology. Rather than sending in an army of soldiers to conquer bits of land, big corporations and people with private fortunes colonize by buying property and then changing its function to suit their needs, disregarding its original significance to the community around it.
In this way, Brown is colonizing the Jewelry district in Providence. I was shocked when I looked at a map of the property we own there and found that apart from the obvious Brown buildings (70 Ship St. and 222 Richmond St.), there are seven others scattered around Richmond Street, Eddy Street and Davol Square. Also astonishing, most of this property is sitting empty, useless and largely tax exempt.
This is significant for several reasons, the first and most obvious of which is that even though former Mayor David Cicilline '83 came to an agreement with Brown in which they would have to contribute some money (roughly $30 million over 20 years) to the city for newly acquired properties, it is a pittance in comparison to the property taxes any other business would have to pay. As Brown continues to buy up significant chunks of city real estate, this could eventually become a serious economic problem. For those of you who would argue that regardless of the circumstances, colleges and universities ought to have a strict non-profit status, I would encourage you to take a look around at the amount of Building Brown logos plastered all over the city and think earnestly about what it means to be a non-profit organization.
Secondly, whenever a wealthy institution begins buying property in a low-income neighborhood, gentrification is a huge concern. If the Brown campus is eventually extended into the Jewelry District, it will clearly have an impact on property value in the area, leading to a situation in which non-wealthy people who live close by will have problems opening businesses, affording houses and even renting apartments. Most concerning is that the gentrification of the Jewelry District will not only be felt within its borders; for example, the cost of renting an apartment decreases as you move further away from College Hill, but remains higher than the rest of the city for several square miles. The effect this could have on residents of Olneyville and the West End is devastating, and must be seriously considered before the Jewelry District becomes Brown's west campus.
All of this suggests something fairly unpleasant about our beloved University, specifically that when presented with the choice between growth and prestige versus community accountability and good citizenship, Brown certainly takes the road more traveled. Just like all colonizers before them, the Brown administration has once again chosen sound business over sound morality. My decision to come to this school was purposeful and was in no small way affected by its veneer of moral responsibility. For this reason, I think it is important to let the administration know that it is not accurately representing its student body to the community and that we do not approve of these thoughtless and selfish expansion projects.
Chris Norris-LeBlanc '13 is a Rhode Island native first and a Brown student second. He can be reached at chris.norris.leblanc@gmail.com.