We should ask ourselves what the words "community" and "justice" mean for an institution like Brown that, for all its merits, inescapably embodies America's deeply troubled history of educational inequality and broader injustice, as partially documented in the Committee on Slavery and Justice's report nine years ago.
The city's reliance on Brown's beneficence makes concrete the undemocratic power this institution has. Brown's tax-exempt status does not reflect the great love the city holds for Brown — rather, it underscores that Brown has been able to play by its own rules because of its close relationship with entrenched socioeconomic elites since its inception.
In the short term, this means we should put our money where our mouth is. Previous agreements were not fair — they represent only a portion of the amount Brown would owe if only its most egregious exemptions were removed. We should not let the formalities of the non-profit designation blind us to the important differences between numerous tiny organizations that would suffer significantly from an increased tax burden, local churches and hospitals whose services go directly to the people of Providence and a hugely wealthy elite institution like Brown. We can and should pay more, as should the wealthy citizens and corporations of Providence.
In the long term, we should ask ourselves and the administration tough questions about how Brown's priorities and governance relate to those of its home city. Is this really a straight choice between giving more to Providence and raising tuition or cutting financial aid? Is this really the only place the money could come from? Why, for example, do Brown's fundraising efforts appear to be focused on high-status building projects like Perry and Marty Granoff Center for the Creative Arts, the swimming pool and the Warren Alpert Medical School, rather than prioritizing the integration of Brown's educational mission with the renewal and regeneration of Providence? Why are Brown's priorities set by an archaic and unaccountable Corporation, rather than with the empowered input of the wider Brown community and the people of Providence? It's also worth remembering that there are thousands of graduate students, faculty and staff at this institution, many of whom are far more intimately involved with the life of the city than many undergraduates, if only by dint of not living on campus. Their interests and needs matter here, too.
Brown is a great institution. It provides an education that few in the world can dream of. Yet we should not let our pride in its merits blind us to its flaws. Brown is not the plaything of the millionaires in the Corporation. It belongs to its students, faculty, staff and to the people of Providence. Brown is not an "addition" to the Providence community — it is part of the community, and it's time it acted like it. We should demand a real voice in ensuring that Brown realizes its incredible potential as a force for good in this city.
