Guide to Brown 2023

GUIDE TO BROWN

The Brown Daily Herald Special Issue

Welcome from The Brown Daily Herald!

Hi, first-years!

Welcome to Brown! We’re so excited that you made it to campus and are beginning your journeys as members of the Brown community.

A quick intro: We’re the 133rd Editorial Board of The Brown Daily Herald, Brown’s only independent, student-run daily newspaper. We work with a team of roughly 250 students to publish stories online Monday through Friday and publish a print newspaper on Thursdays. The seven of us are seniors who have learned a few things about Brown which may prove helpful in your first months on campus.

Within these pages, you’ll find a comprehensive A-to-Z guide to everything Brown. You’ll also have a chance to explore data on the class of 2027, collected through our inagural first-year poll. And you’ll be able to catch up on some Brown-related news you may have missed over the summer.

As you settle into your dorms in Andrews, Keeney or anywhere in between, we hope this guide gives you a taste of all that lies in store for you in the years ahead!

Sincerely, 133

Table of Contents

AAPI Heritage Month Special Issue...10

Editors’ Notes are written by The Herald’s 133rd Editorial Board: Will Kubzansky ’24, Katy Pickens ’24, Alex Nadirashvili ’24, Augustus Bayard ’24, Caleb Lazar ’24, Peter Swope ’24 and Kaitlyn Torres ’24

Pride Month Special Issue.....................11

Guide to first-year housing....................12

Brown A-Z...................................................14

Cover Illustration by Stella Tsogtjargal ’26

The Herald’s

The class of 2027

BY THE NUMBERS

225

229 The class of 2027 includes students from 48 states, with New York, California, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas as the top 5.

141

17% of first-years are international students, representing nearly 80 countries.

76

86

The class of 2027 speaks over 60 different languages.

*Geographic data provided to The Herald by Associate Provost for Enrollment Logan Powell. All other data is from The Herald’s poll.

47%

16% First-generation Financial aid LGBTQ+

54%

38% Students of color

First-Year Poll

41% Double concentrating

About 20% of Brown undergraduate students graduate with more than one concentration!

5%

Only 56% of first-years said that they are somewhat or very sure of their intended concentrations and certificates.

WANT TO LEARN MORE?

CHECK OUT THE FULL ARTICLE!

TOP 10 CONCENTRATIONS

The Herald’s

Social:

27% Unsure

73% of incoming first-years are single... and 45% are ready to mingle.

67% Not planning to join Greek life

6% Planning to join Greek life

63% Have not had sex

37% Have had sex

87% Does not have a fake ID

13% Has a fake ID

WANT TO LEARN MORE? CHECK OUT THE FULL ARTICLE!

First-Year Poll

Has the class of 2027 consumed... Alcohol? Marijuana? Nicotine?

67% Yes 37% Yes

Would the class of 2027 participate in the Naked Donut Run? Yes

12%

25% Unsure

Last spring, 2.5% of students reported having participated in the NDR before.

29%

Don’t know what the NDR is

Is this you? Check out Brown A to Z on page 16 to learn about the NDR!

About this poll

34% No

The class of 2027 reported an average of 7.28 hours of sleep a night — just above the 7.11 hours reported by Brown’s student body last year.

The Herald’s Class of 2027 First-Year Poll was conducted from July 26 to August 7. The Herald received 710 responses, accounting for over 40% of the class of 2027. Responses were collected through a Google Form emailed to all incoming firstyears. Students were required to use a Brown account to fill out the survey, but no email addresses were collected, and all data has been de-identified. Demographic questions were required, while all other questions were optional.

Associate Provost for Enrollment Logan Powell provided additional data used in this spread.

By Owen Dahlkamp and Caleb Lazar

63% of students admitted to class of 2027 accept spot at Brown

By Owen Dahlkamp, Senior Staff Writer

Just over 63% of admitted students to the class of 2027 — 1,699 out of 2,682 — have enrolled at the University for the fall, according to an email from Associate Provost for Enrollment Logan Powell.

2,609 students were offered admission in March with an additional 73 admitted from the waitlist, 52 of whom accepted their offer. In past years, the number of students accepted from the waitlist has ranged from two to three hundred students.

Annelise Klein ’27 said she was “heavily weighing” other acceptance offers before she ultimately landed on Brown.

While mulling over her options, she received a grant to visit campus during A Day on College Hill. “I fell in love with the campus. I fell in love with the people. It just was such an amazing environment,” she said.

Over the past few years, the Office of College Admission has expanded its travel grant program to provide students — particularly those who identify as low income and first generation — with the opportunity to visit campus.

“It just came down to the feel of the campus and the location for me,” Klein added. “It felt right.”

This year’s 63.3% yield rate is the 3rd highest in the past decade, according to the University’s Common Data Sets.

At 67%, the class of 2026 still holds the University record for the highest yield rate. The class of 2025 is a close second at 66%.

Each year, the University aims to enroll 1,700

students in the incoming freshman class, according to Powell — a number that has stayed relatively level over the years.

Of the students matriculating, an unspecified number have deferred their admission to future

years.

As the class of 2027 comes to College Hill for move-in day on August 30, Klein said she was “going to miss home” but is “so excited to be taking this next step.”

Catch up:

Here are some top stories from the summer you may have missed.

Brown community condemns end of affirmative action

By Owen Dahlkamp

In one response, the University’s Black Student Union issued a statement in conjunction with their seven Ivy League counterparts that “jointly condemn(ed) the Supreme Court’s gutting of race-conscious affirmative

Brown announces

integrated

life

sciences building plans, indoor athletic training facility

By Ryan Doherty

The University has selected a location and drafted plans for a previously announced integrated life sciences building — and selected architects for a new indoor athletics facility, according to a June 1 press release.

Ashish Jha resumes as SPH Dean

By Neil Mehta

Following the June 29 Supreme Court ruling outlawing race-conscious college admissions, student organizations at Brown were swift to denounce the decision — and called for the University’s Office of College Admission to solicit student input as the admission process changes.

Ashish Jha, previously the White House COVID-19 response coordinator, resumed his role as dean of the School of Public Health starting July 1, according to a press release from the University. Interim Dean Ronald Aubert became senior associate dean of education at SPH following Jha’s return. Jha took a leave from SPH April 5, 2022 following his appointment to the White House.

HERALD FILE PHOTO

Women faculty task force issues report detailing gender-based disparities in representation, compensation of Brown faculty

By Sofia Barnett and Natalie Villacres

According to the report, women faculty are underrepresented across all ranks and disciplines at the University, treated inconsistently with Brown’s Code of Conduct and, on average, paid less than men.

Brown ends campus-wide COVID-19 vaccination requirement

By Haley Sandlow

Students at the Warren Alpert Medical School or in the Gateways Program and Program in Liberal Medical Education remain required to obtain the initial vaccine series and a booster prior to matriculation because they “spend a significant amount of time in clinical settings.”

Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Special Issue

Exploring enrollment, community in U.

Asian language courses

By Ryan Doherty

“There aren’t a lot of classes in which the entire class is friends with each other,” he said. “But in Hindi, it has been like that.”

10 important reads by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors

By Indigo Mudbhary

In a 2015 interview with Fiction Writers Review, writer Bich Minh Nguyen was asked how her Vietnamese American background influences her authorship.

“Whether I’m w orking on fiction or nonfiction, I write toward subjects that are interesting or complicated to me,” Nguyen said.

APRIL JIANG (YIHAN)

Manav Musunuru ’26 remembers wanting to learn Hindi and Urdu since he was a child, inspired by visits to family in India. But after enrolling in HNDI 0200: “Beginning Hindi or Urdu” last year, he has gained more than just navigation and conversation skills: A new group of friends.

This culture has been beneficial to his success in the course: It makes him “feel more open to being wrong or learning things.”

To better understand the University’s classes teaching languages natively spoken in Asian countries, The Herald analyzed course enrollment data and spoke with current students and faculty.

In honor of AAPI Heritage Month, The Herald compiled ten works by Asian American and Pacific Islander writers that shed light on the ever-complex themes of identity, immigration and location.

Scan the QR code to explore the rest of the special issue.

Pride Month Special Issue

LGBTQ+ student self-identification has doubled at Brown since 2010, according to Herald polls

By Sofia Barnett and Ryan Doherty

The Herald’s Spring 2023 poll found that 38% of students do not identify as straight — over five times the national rate. Over the past decade, LGBTQ+ identification has increased across the nation, with especially sharp growth at Brown.

STELLA

TSOGTJARGAL

Student artists discuss queerness, art-making

By Kathy Wang

Through the queer rights movement of the 20th and 21st century — and well before — art has played a pivotal role in self-expression, activism and community-building for queer people.

This Pride Month , The Herald reviewed data from its semesterly polls and spoke with current students to investigate how the LGBTQ+ community on campus has evolved over time.

Scan the QR code to explore the rest of the special issue.

Guide to First-Year

ANDREWS HALL

Highly coveted, Andrews is, for the most part, uncontroversial. Most first-years long to live in Andrews, and not without reason, because Andrews: Has sinks in every room.

Is located directly above the Andrews dining hall. Comes with an expansive lounge (including a printer!) Is also near Thayer Street, where most restaurants and shops are.

-Andrews is as good of a draw as you can get. Just make sure you mind your step, because it lies just beyond the Pembroke seal!

Is quite a walk away from the Main Green, and by proxy, most classrooms, or a party in Keeney.

Can get crowded during pasta and burrito bowl nights. Means that your primary dining hall is the V-Dub — not necessarily a negative, but it often has fewer options than the Ratty.

EMERY-WOOLLEY HALL

Emery-Woolley, or EmWool, as residents affectionately call it, is an acquired taste and likely to leave an impression. Life at EmWool includes:

Semi-private bathrooms! Big win. You may still want to wear slippers in the shower area though.

The V-Dub is located inside EmWool.

Conveniently located near Andrews and Thayer Street. Has a ground-floor study lounge.

--

The rooms aren’t as big as they could be. In fact, some rooms are unfairly large while others are much smaller.

The V-Dub is closed on weekends. It’s pretty far away from the center of campus.

KEENEY QUADRANGLE

Ah, Keeney. While it’s typically party central for first-year students, Keeney has its pros and cons, too. Keeney’s benefits (and downsides) include:

A thriving social scene.

Proximity to the Main Green, the center of campus. Solidarity with generations of Brown students before you who also lived through Keeney.

Rooms are small.

The communal bathrooms can get … nasty.

The thriving nightlife can be pesky if you have a midterm in the morning.

Housing at Brown

METCALF/MILLER HALL

Located right next to Andrews, Metcalf takes after its neighbor in its residential benefits.

Pretty nice study lounges and ground-floor common rooms. Elevators!

Decent kitchens, too.

+ + +

--

It’s pretty far from the Main Green. It also gets crowded during pasta time!

It’s close to Andrews, but unfortunately is not inside it.

Miller is basically Metcalf, but with staircases. Please refer to the Metcalf section above for more details.

MORRIS-CHAMPLIN HALL

It’s tempting to say that MoChamp is to EmWool what Miller is to Metcalf: just slightly better. MoChamp comes with its own set of pros by virtue of being internally connected to EmWool via a (secret?) passageway.

Has an amazing study lounge, complete with a fireplace and ping pong table (assuming the balls are there).

Is right across from CVS.

Has semi-private bathrooms! (Again: Shower shoes are still a good idea.)

-

You guessed it — it’s far away from the Main Green People from other dorms will constantly be hanging out in your study space.

WAYLAND HOUSE

--

The bathroom doors can be tricky.

Some of the doubles are a bit on the small side.

Located on the same quad as most of the traditional sorority and fraternity housing, Wayland House is beloved … but it also keeps you up all night. There’s a reason Wayland is so loved. In fact, there are many: Wayland, being on the party quad, gives Keeney a run for its money with its thriving nightlife. Bonus: It’s not just first-years. It’s pretty close to the Main Green as well.

A cappella groups often come together to sing under the Wayland Arch.

After the third a cappella performance in one week, you may consider filing a noise complaint. You might also have to break through one to get into your dorm room.

Brown A to Z

Everything you need to know for your first year.

A capella

Brown is home to 10 a capella groups that sing in all kinds of styles. Catch them leading first-year sings under the Wayland and Morris-Champlin arches.

A.B.

The bachelor of arts degree most of you will leave with. Everyone else calls it a B.A.

ADOCH

Many of you probably came to this spring event right after acceptance letters went out. We skip homework for a day and act far cooler than we are.

Andrews Commons

Located in the heart of Pembroke campus, this eatery features pizza, sandwiches, pho and other dishes.

Black Star Journal

A publication founded in the 2021-22 academic year documenting the Black student experience on Brown’s campus, publishing three times a year.

Blue Room

One of the busiest spots on campus, the Blue Room is located right off the Main Green inside Faunce, offering baked goods, coffee and sandwiches.

Brown Black Student Union

BSU at Brown was first founded in 1967 as a cultural, political and social community for Black students. Through events like its First Year Convocation and programs like career mentorship, BSU helps support the Black community at Brown.

Blueno

The “Untitled (Lamp/Bear)” used to haunt and brighten campus with its cartoonsh style and a dark lamp embedded in its head until its departure in 2020.

Brown Center for Students of Color

The BCSC, on the corner of Brown and Waterman streets, serves as a gathering place and holds programs for students of color on campus.

Brown Daily Herald

Published daily since 1891, in print on Thursdays and online every day. The Herald is financially and editorially independent from the University and covers University news, metro, opinion, arts, science and sports. You can read us online at browndailyherald. com or pick up a copy anywhere on campus for free.

Brown Dining Services

Brown Dining Services coordinates everything food related inside University dining halls and eateries. Employees work hard to staff campus eateries — patiently taking sandwich orders, swiping meal cards and restocking shelves.

Bus Tunnel

Technically the “Rumford Bus Tunnel,” it goes through College Hill (literally), from Starbucks to the intersection of Waterman and North Main streets. Don’t try walking through the tunnel. You will never be heard from again.

Carberry, Josiah

Brown’s legendary professor of psychoceramics — the study of cracked pots. He does not exist. Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise.

CareerLAB

You might come here once in the next four years in an attempt to deal with future-related dread.

Chicken Finger Friday

This beloved weekly lunch at the V-Dub is a big perk of being on meal plan.

College Hill Independent

College Hill’s alternative weekly newspaper, but more importantly, The Herald’s chief kickball competitor.

Community Coordinator

They build community, hold events, tell you when to move out and restock the condoms.

Concentration

In the real world, this is called a “major.”

Courses@Brown

The way we all choose our courses for each semester. Whether or not you get into a small course will depend on your internet speed and button-clicking skills.

Critical Review

Student reviews of many classes and professors at Brown. A bad review should at least make you think twice before you take a class.

Credit/Meal Credit

One meal credit will get you into the Ratty or the V-Dub or purchase $9.25 worth of food at Jo’s, the Ivy Room or Andrews. Some meal plans offer a lot of points (dollars) with fewer credits, whereas others give you a set number of meals per week and fewer points.

DPS

The Department of Public Safety.

EMS

Emergency Medical Services.

Endowment

Currently sitting at about $6.5 billion. Don’t look up Harvard’s.

Extension

Make up a good reason, and you’ll probably get it. Even if the professor says that they never give them out.

Faunce House, or the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center

Since its reopening in fall 2010, it has housed the Stephen Robert ’62 Campus Center. Home to the Blue Room, study spaces, the Underground and those famous stairs at the top of the Main Green where hipsters can see and be seen.

First-Years You.

First-year seminars

Take one while you can — they aren’t offered after your first year.

Indigenous People’s Day

The federal holiday known as Columbus Day. Brown previously referred to the weekend as Fall Weekend, but the name was formally changed to Indigenous People’s Day in 2016.

Ivy Room

A popular lunch spot for those with points to spare on a smoothie or sandwich.

Ivy Room

A popular lunch spot for those with points to spare on a smoothie or sandwich.

Jo’s

Located on the ground floor of New Dorm A, it’s the home of late-night salads, snacks and delicious fried foods. Be sure to order a “spicy with.”

John Hay Library

Renovated in 2014, the Hay has many rare collections and houses the University Archives, which will excite any history buff on campus.

Main Green

If you haven’t figured out what it is, go home.

MPC

Minority Peer Counselor, a program within the Brown Center for Students of Color. The counselors are specially trained to advise first-years on matters related to historically underrepresented groups on campus.

Naked Donut Run

During reading period, dedicated scholars in the Rock and the SciLi get a special treat: donuts! Made memorable by the naked students who hand them to you.

Nelson Fitness Center

Equipped with over 10,000 square feet of workout equipment and an Olympic-sized swimming pool, this campus gym will either be an important part of your routine — or you’ll go here once in four years.

New Dorm, or Greg, or .... ?

The Thayer Street dorm (which was new in 1991) is officially called Vartan Gregorian Quad — but don’t call it that. The class of 2024 started calling it “Greg” mid-COVID, though some still call it New Dorm.

Open Curriculum

Also known as the New Curriculum. This is what allows you to take whatever classes you want and potentially graduate without having taken a single one of them for a grade. It’s nearly 50 years old, but we still call it new.

Page-Robinson Hall

Named after Brown’s first Black graduates, Inman Edward Page ’1877 and Ethel Tremaine Robinson ’1905, Page-Robinson Hall houses the mailroom, classrooms and the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life.

Pawtucket

A city bordering Providence — pronounced puh-TUCK-et, not PAWtucket.

Paxson P’19 P’MD’20, Christina

Brown’s 19th president, Christina Paxson came to Brown from Princeton in 2012, where she was dean of the school of Public and International Affairs. Assuming her tenure lasts into 2024, she’ll be the longest-tenured president since Henry Wriston (of quad fame) was in charge from 1937 to 1955.

Pembroke

The northern part of Brown’s campus used to be Pembroke College, an all-women’s counterpart to Brown that merged with the University in 1971. Legend has it that if you walk over the seal on the steps leading up to the college, you will get pregnant. Or you’ll meet the person you’re supposed to marry. Maybe both?

PLME

Brown’s Program in Liberal Medical Education lets a lucky few students go straight into the Alpert Medical School without ever taking the MCAT or second-semester organic chemistry. Pronounced phonetically, like “plee-me.”

post-

The Herald’s campus culture and literary magazine!

Quiet Green

A good place for reading or making out on pleasant days. Rumor has it the University has had a rule on the books since the 1960s that you can be naked here (we have not verified this).

Ratty

Formally called the Sharpe Refectory, the Ratty is Brown’s biggest dining hall. According to legend, the full name got shortened to “Rat Factory,” but Brown students took it a step further. Love it — it loves you.

Reading Period

Around three to 10 days off between when classes end and final exams begin. Many professors don’t recognize the period, so don’t be surprised if you don’t get any time off.

Rhode Island

The smallest state in the union (by area). Everyone here is very into Del’s Lemonade.

RIPTA

The bus. You can ride it for free with your Brown ID. That’s kind of amazing — try and make use of the privilege while you can.

RISD

Rhode Island School of Design. Brown students can, at least in theory, take advantage of classes at RISD — worth the trouble if you can make it happen.

The Rock

The John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Library. The University’s main humanities library where students spend more time hitting the books than they ever thought possible.

S/NC

Satisfactory/No Credit. The option to take any class pass/fail. It’s one of the beauties of the Open Curriculum.

Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender

The Sarah Doyle Center, located just across from Keeney, engages members of the University community on issues surrounding and connected to gender.

Sayles Hall

Sayles features classrooms, the Hutchings-Votey Organ and portraits of all of Brown’s past presidents. Students can attend the midnight organ concert during their orientation week and on Halloween.

Sc.B.

Everyone else calls it a B.S.

SciLi

The Sciences Library. Known for its brutalist architecture, the SciLi is fourteen stories high, each color-coded according to the pH system. You can also find the Writing Center and the Undocumented, First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center here!

Shopping Period

A two-week-long period at the beginning of each semester during which you can try out any class that catches your eye and change your class registration.

Simmons, Ruth

Brown’s 18th president and the first Black president of an Ivy League school, Simmons held the position for 11 years, from 2001-2012. She had an enthusiastic following among students and even had a quad named after her. Simmons enacted need-blind admission for first-year domestic applicants, and her Plan for Academic Enrichment reshaped the Brown academic experience.

Smiley, Brett

The current mayor of Providence, elected in fall 2022. Smiley previously ran the Rhode Island Department of Administration and is married to Jim DeRentis, a powerful real estate broker in Providence.

Spring Weekend

In a good year, Spring Weekend means big-name artists on our very own Main Green, couches on Wriston and lots of drinking. In a bad year, expect lots of reverb inside a campus hall due to a drizzle that dampens excitement.

Stonewall House

Home to the University’s LGBTQ center, also located right across from Keeney. The center advocates, supports and builds community for queer students.

TA

Teaching Assistant. The undergraduate TAs just unionized in the Computer Science department (all graduate students are unionized across Brown). Their role varies by department, but almost all will help with homework if you ask.

Thayer Street

Home to two Baja’s, four bubble tea shops, two pizzerias, and many high schoolers on a Friday night.

The Underground

The home of the student-run Underground Coffee Shop and precious table space.

University Hall

Come here to meet with deans or visit President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 during her office hours. The oldest building on campus.

Van Wickle Gates

So important that they’re only open twice a year. You walk through them once at convocation and once when you graduate.

V-Dub

The Verney-Woolley Dining Hall. With its location in Pembroke and close proximity to the Nelson, it tends to draw student-athletes and first-years.

Wellness

A dorm for a select handful of lucky students who apply (known as “Welly”) and home to Health Services and the pharmacy.

Wickenden

Street and Wayland Square

Wickenden is famous for its eclectic mix of cafes and pubs. Wayland is known for its bookstores and fancy restaurants.

Women, Gender and Sexualty

Peer Counselor

WGC Peer Counselors focus on gender and sexuality, hosting events and holding hours for peer support on campus.

Writing Center

A place you can go to get one-on-one help editing or writing papers, staffed by students in a variety of disciplines.

Wriston Quadrangle

Home to the Ratty and most of Brown’s fraternities and sororities.

Undocumented, First-Generation College, and Low-Income (U-FLi) Peer Counselors

U-FLi Peer Counselors host events and serve as mentors and advisors for U-FLi students.

Watson Institute

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs is home to world-renowned researchers in political science, international relations and public policy.

X

What you’ll likely be calling your orientation hook-up in about two weeks.

Young Orchard Ave.

The southeastern edge of campus, including dorms and the Orwig music library.

Zoom

How all the seniors did their freshman year (and how most of you did an alarmingly large chunk of high school).

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