Sidestepping the Archway: A Student’s Perspective “I am walking to class with my roommate, texting and not paying attention. Suddenly, my roommate shoves me and yells, “Dude, watch out!” Startled, I look up to realize I almost fell victim to Bryant’s most feared legend — walking through the Archway before graduation. The rumor is that students who walk through the Archway will not graduate from Bryant, although there is no data to back it up. “The Archway is a wrought-iron gate that was taken from Bryant’s campus on the East Side of Providence to the Smithfield campus when it opened in 1971; this year, we’re celebrating our 150th anniversary. The original Bryant College seal remains intact on the campus icon, even though we became a university in 2004. The Class of 2008 raised money to have the Archway refurbished, and a brick walkway has since replaced the deep ruts caused by students walking around the gate over the years. “Every student’s proudest moment is walking through the Archway to the Commencement ceremony. On May 18, I was excited to step through the Archway and into my future.” John “Jake” Meehan ’13, a Finance major now working in The Travelers Insurance Financial Management Leadership Development Program, Hartford, CT.
Giving Back By Doing Good, Part of the Bryant DNA
Research and Engagement Day: A Showcase of Academic Exploration Research and Engagement Day, one of the newest Bryant traditions, showcases inspiring speakers, dynamic collaboration between faculty and students, and a rich sharing of academic explorations and investigations. More commonly known as RED ay, this daylong symposium features faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as industry and community partners associated with Bryant who exhibit their research, creativity, and innovative academic accomplishments. RED ay formalized, opened to the entire University community, and celebrates Bryant’s long-standing tradition of faculty-student collaboration.
Bryant students — and alumni — have always given back to the community, using the real-world skills they develop to make a difference in the world through their work as volunteers or employees of nonprofit agencies and cultural organizations. At Bryant, service learning combines the ideals of volunteering, learning, and reflection. All students take an introductory management course that allows them to apply their management skills to help nonprofit organizations run more efficiently while they learn about issues affecting the community. Students also volunteer approximately 11,000 hours of time each academic year for a gamut of worthy causes: providing training skills to incarcerated youth, raising awareness about adoption, volunteering at a soup kitchen in the District of Columbia, changing the tax status of an animal rescue farm, repairing New Orleans homes ravaged by Hurricane Katrina, and raising money for cancer research. International outreach ranges from a book drive for college students in Tanzania to teaching English and computer skills to local residents in a small fishing village in the Dominican Republic. In May, more than 200 students volunteered when the University opened its doors to 400 Special Olympic athletes for an event that Bryant students have organized for 30 years.