To the Editor:
I write to contest the misguided assumptions found in Ben Resnik's '15 column ("Starting the conversation - a manifesto," Sept. 11). Whereas I agree with his opening contention that "Brown students are capable of anything," I disagree with his assumption that a bitter political divide exists between left and right on campus. As president of the Republican Club (which was established in 1888, and not by Bobby Jindal '91.5, as Resnik claims), I can attest to the many formal events and projects we have organized with Democrats since I joined in 2009. We have debated the Brown Democrats as part of the Janus Political Union, worked with them to plan lectures for the Janus Forum and lent our support to the University's push to register freshmen to vote.
These events were only the tip of the iceberg, with newer organizations like the Brown Political Review and the Alexander Hamilton Society facilitating student and expert debate across the political spectrum. Despite the importance of these groups and their formal events, they pale in comparison to the many informal contacts between left and right at Brown.
United by a common zeal for politics and passion for a stronger America, members of the Brown Republicans and Democrats frequently meet to discuss issues, come up with solutions or just have fun. Be it in a kitchen in New Dorm, or over Cajun pasta in the Ratty, bipartisan discussion at Brown has given way to bipartisan friendship. Whereas friendships between Republicans and Democrats may not have the formality of a "Brown Political Forum," they are every bit as genuine and twice as meaningful. When it comes to the divide between left and right, friendships are the relationships that matter - the relationships that will last and continue to inform our politics for a lifetime.
Terrence George '13
President, Republican Club of Brown University
