<p>I’ve heard that Brown is extremely liberal. But I’m not quite sure what that means. I understand the definition of a liberal (freedom, etc), but I’m not sure how that would apply to a school. </p>
<p>Could BU students please give me some examples they’ve witnessed or explain the “liberal school” atmostphere?</p>
<p>With Brown, being liberal often extends beyond the way you'd think for a school. Typically, a liberal school is one that provides more academic freedom to its students, encourages professors to excercise and push their academic freedom to the limits, is willing to experiment and change curricular aspects to less accepted practices (New Curriculum, for instance), and in general is a progressive, fast changing place.</p>
<p>All of these things exist at Brown. Many interdisciplinary concentrations and really unconventional paths of learning are offered and encouraged. GISPs and ISP are relatively popular ways of learning and relatively easy to create/organize. We value a liberal education, which seeks to teach its students not how to operate in a particular job space, but how to become a better thinker, and subsequently, a better citizen of the world.</p>
<p>Brown is also liberal in the sense that Brown student's have political views that when summed, lie to the left of the political spectrum. Though there is a lot of noise coming from the conservative minority on campus, they remain a rather small segement of the Brown community. Not that anyone is going to attack you or not like you for being conservative (I really can't believe that someone here would be that ridiculous and intolerant of political views), I can sum up the political atmosphere with something a friend of mine said just the other day. "It's going to be so strange to leave Brown and have to defend liberal ideaology again." Though there is quite a bit of political discussion, most of it is about implimentation of liberal policy, with very few people questioning that liberal ideaology is proper. I happen to know quite a few conservatives, and I tend to be far more moderate than the others I know, so my discussions do have more spice than arguing details, however, generally speaking, you'll find the atmosphere is friendly to liberal ideaology because most people share your opinion.</p>
<p>modestmelody said it far better than I ever could.</p>
<p>Just wanted to point out that nobody at Brown refers to the school as "BU." That acronym belongs to Boston University. The shortened version of Brown University is just "Brown." Just trying to help you out when application time rolls around...</p>
<p>ILoveBrown is right on the shortening thing, and I happen to cringe whenever I read BU on College Confidential, which is a bit too often I must admit.</p>
<p>Oo I get it now =) </p>
<p>Thanks for clarifying everything!</p>
<p>Brown is liberal, but it's not very "hippie," like the stereotype, in case you were wondering. I wish it was more so!</p>
<p>it's more armchair starry-eyed typical college kid liberals than hippies, yeah</p>
<p>When I visited this summer the STOP signs had "Bush" written under a number of them...or "stop Bush," for those of you who might not have gotten that immediately. That was somewhat startling, not because I'm conservative...I'm actually ridiculously liberal...but I was surprised because it was something that I didn't expect to see.</p>
<p>Thanks for your suggestion. I didn't mean to start an unnecessary thread. You are right, this is a better place to talk. I don't want to sound like I am gay bashing. It's not like that. It's just that no one can talk about liberalism at Brown without referencing their discussion to gay activity. It really seems that homosexuality is the lens through which liberalism is interpreted at Brown. Can anyone think of another Ivy for which the major annual social event is a gay prom? Didn't that social event make the national news last year? Obviously, I have not visited Brown. What is the ambiance like? Is the quad filled with homosexual couples?</p>
<p>I've rarely seen any kind of PDA on campus, heterosexual or homosexual. In fact, I am pretty sure I haven't seen any homosexual PDA here, and not much more than a kiss hello for heterosexuals. Our liberalism is not at all defined by our general acceptance of homosexuals, it's defined by many of the things I posted above. However, acceptance of homosexuals is more of an effect of our liberalism. Though it is fairly common, particularly for males who are homosexual, for people to be open about their sexuality, life here is really no different than walking down any other street.</p>
<p>As for the major social event being a gay prom, that's actually saying the completely wrong thing. SexPowerGod, while run by the Queer Alliance, a support group for homosexuals, is by in large attended by heterosexuals at the school. The event made national news when someone from the O'Reilly Factor "caught on" (the event is rather well known and not hidden-- it's been on Wikipedia for years) and he filmed some of the acts going on there. It's generally a bunch of very drunk kids in lingerie (it is a lingerie party) or other skimpy outfits acting rather promiscuous. The thing is, none of this is really spearheaded by homosexuals on campus and they're not the only ones (or even the majority) taking part-- it's oversexed college kids taking advantage of a party that the QA happens to make money off of.</p>
<p>This year the party has been moved, price has been raised, and entrance has been cracked down on quite a bit. I am not sure if it'll ever be quite the party it was, but it remains the QAs best fund raiser.</p>
<p>Bottom line-- as a campus we are not harsh nor judgemental towards homosexuals, and there are also many activities hosted by the QA (not SexPowerGod) that are meant to support homosexuals and make them feel comfortable with their life style choices. Being at Brown isn't like being in the middle of a huge gay love fest, but you're rather unlikely to find someone here that would persecute against someone who was gay-- or for that matter, even care that they are gay.</p>
<p>Also, your other post was fine-- don't apologize! I thought it would be nice, however, to have that discussion in this thread since now we have one very informative and more complete thread about liberalism at Brown.</p>
<p>How does Brown's liberal atmosphere extend to substance abuse and drinking on campus? Often times when I mention Brown to other people I know, they refer to it negatively, assuming a large amount of substance(drug) abuse. I was wondering whether any Brown students could clarify this assumption. With respect to other colleges, how does this negative stereotype of Brown hold up?</p>
<p>Oh boy! Brown is just crawling with drugs! Everyone is generally buzzed out. Several people are just high as kites... Every. Day. Oh and every weekend, some mafia thug comes over and pimps some of the cute VA 10 students, whilst offering the over-stressed CS majors crack. </p>
<p>It's a really dangerous place to be. Rampant drug use. Substance abuse up the wazoo and teachers doing the yahoo with students.</p>
<p>Party hard, and do your share of stealing trays from the Ratty.</p>
<hr>
<p>Um. Brown has no drug problem. We have a Greek scene. There are drugs. Students are generally responsible. The school has police officers/ blue phones/ neon-color-vest-wearing night guards/ safe-ride/ safe-walk/ 24/7 EMS. You're rather safe here.</p>
<p>goingtospace, not really sure I understand why you took the tone you did. I don't think chameli1 was trying to be argumentative.</p>
<p>To answer more approriately. Are there drugs here? Yes. More so than other schools? Probably not. Are students more open about it than other schools? Probably. DPS (department of public safety) is extremely lax here, and as such kids don't really "fear the man" at Brown. Also, the 24/7 EMS (emergency medical service) that GTSBRB referenced comes with a "no punishment" policy. At almost every other school, if someone calls an ambulance for you, you will get some sort of disciplinary action, or at least your parents will be notified. At Brown, if you require emergency medical care for a drug or alcohol related condition, you have to have 1 meeting, usually 30mins-1hr. It goes in some file (because you will get in trouble if it happens often, but I've only heard of this happening once, and it was a girl who got EMSed like 6 times in the her first semester at Brown, which is almost every other week) but for the most part, it remains very confidential that you were ever in that situation. I believe that unlike other schools, we haven't had anyone requiring serious medical attention for drugs or alcohol because kids at Brown are a little more likely to "pull the trigger" and call for an ambulance sooner than our peers at other schools.</p>
<p>Oh I was joking around.</p>
<p>Apologies to both/all. There's internet sarcasm for you!</p>
<p>You're not gay bashing, you're just woefully ignorant. Jason (modest) is right, in that SexPowerGod to which you are presumably referring, is not a gay prom, it is a party that is aimed at allowing people of all sexualities to be themselves, but is first and foremost a fundraiser attended by heterosexuals. </p>
<p>We don't view liberalism through a homosexual lens. In fact I'm not even sure what that means. Homosexuality is a state of being, not a viewpoint. As for gay couples filling the quad, well, the quad is dominated by gay couples, straight couples, and non couples. If you have a problem "being surrounded" by gay people, i.e. accepting them for who they are, then go to Bob Jones University. </p>
<p>Bottom line is that Brown is accepting of homosexuality and people express themselves as such. If you are seriously uncomfortable with this you are either a. closeted b. extremely conservative and probably like Brown anyways. That was a joke by the way. Well, kind of a joke. </p>
<p>And Jason, the QA isn't a support group, it's an umbrella for social groups, support groups, political groups, etc</p>
<p>My bad for making the QA's reach sound far smaller than it really is.</p>
<p>ClaySoul i think it is extremely offensive to say someone is ignorant based on their opinion. To say that someone is ignorant bc of a view that you don't share is rude and would be like someone calling a gay person a fag. It is the same bc you are condemn a view/stance not your own. If it would not be acceptable to demean gay ppl then it should not be acceptable to demean others.</p>
<p>Well, not if he's actually ignorant. I wasn't addressing his personal views, but the statements he was claiming to be fact (or asking if they were fact). </p>
<p>He was indeed ignorant about SexPowerGod, and its lesser known cousin Star*****. He asked if Brown's liberalism was seen through the lens of homosexuality when no such thing is possible. To say so is to assert homosexuality is something like a political party instead of a state of being. Whether or not you think homosexuality is a choice or not, immoral or not, it's still a state of being. To say otherwise is incorrect, and, even perhaps ignorant!</p>
<p>Furthermore, there is no such thing as tolerance of intolerance. You have no inalienable right to not be around things you personally or religiously find icky. Me calling you prejudiced, though an undesirable label, is nonetheless semantically correct if you hold negative views towards a certain demographic. You calling me a fag is derogatory and nothing more.</p>
<p>Further still, I'd like to note that I was offended by his question about "liberalism through a homosexual lens" because what does that even mean and why should that be bad? It reeks of prejudice and homophobia.</p>
<p>jason, i didn't mean to say that you were inaccurately describing it's reach, only that it's not just a support group, it's much more.</p>
<p>That is convulted to say that somehow it is "tolerant" to be intolerant of a view that you find unacceptable is completely hypocritcal. That would be like me saying that someone was stupid bc they had different opinions.
But further in regards to homosexuality it is not a state of being it is an action, and if one is to deem it a definitve charcateristic then it is not a state of being anymore so than saying white is a state of being it is not but a charcateristic just as a rude person has a rude charcateristic. So if someone does not like rude ppl do you say they are intolerant? No, but somehow it is acceptable for another situation.</p>