<p>Some people have told me that Brown is overwhelmingly liberal. Is that true? I expect most ivies are but Brown is singled out as being almost intolerantly liberal. Anybody have a handle on this?</p>
<p>my friend who goes to brown, said a lot of people were crying when Kerry lost.....</p>
<p>I think Brown is the most liberal of the Ivies. Yes they are known for that. </p>
<p>(My friends cried too when Kerry lost; my whole school was so depressed lol)</p>
<p>My friend went to brown not knowing who she'd vote for, but leaning towards Kerry. She found the democrats (her roommate one of them) to be so oppressive and militant that she ended up joining the brown republicans.</p>
<p>Brown is very liberal. However, one of the elements of liberalism is the idea of having an 'open mind'. I have found the Brown Dems to be active and colorful but certainly not oppressive or millitant. I could say the same about the small but vocal Conservative population.</p>
<p>All ivies are pretty much liberal, people at Dartmouth had a candlelight vigil and apparently everyone was depressed there too. Brown isnt that militantly liberal, but it is very liberal leaning.</p>
<p>Brown is very liberal. The student body is liberal. All of the professors I took classes from were liberal. It is very common to walk down the street and be handed Socialist pamphlets.</p>
<p>Conservatives at Brown aren't entirely stamped out. We like to consider ourselves a minority, but a vocal one. There is no disputing that Brown has this overwhelmingly liberal aura about it (it was a dead campus the day after the election), but many people (mostly liberals), have told me that they respect me for being so outspoken about my beliefs, especially at Brown. There is always time for productive discussion, too.
Brown takes great pride in its policy of tolerance and respect for all, but the actual practice of that policy can sometimes be shoddy. There have been times when I've shook my head in disgust, thinking that Brown is actually the least tolerant school of all--the brainwashing during freshman orientation, the refusal of some professors to even listen to a Republican, and even the occasional verbal and physical violence against conservatives. However, when I come back to my room and look at my Bush-Cheney bumper sticker, I know that being a conservative at Brown isn't all that bad; it makes you a stronger person and reaffirms your beliefs. If you are a conservative thinking of applying, please don't be intimidated by the political climate here, the Repubs will take good care of you.</p>
<p>It should be pointed out that Bobby Jindal, one of Brown's most impressive and revered graduates also felt that Brown was a formative part of his belief structure because dialogue is so encouraged here and he was compelled to defend his views to the largely liberal student body.
Incidentally, Bobby Jindal is a 33 yr old former rhodes scholar, president of the largest public university system in the country, Bush appointee, almost became the first Indian governor in the country and is now the first Indian congressman in the country. He is also a strict conservative and vocal advocate for Brown (he's a trustee).</p>
<p>Thank you so much for that, it makes me feel so much better. Im a republican and I always thought i would hate brown b/c of all the "crazy liberals" who enroll. Knowing that there is some political diversity (and always a repub club to run to in desperate times) makes me feel so much better...</p>
<p>lol Aequitas...you mentioned "physical violence" against conservatives?</p>
<p>Yeah man. Someone wrote an article in the Brown Daily Herald about how on election night, people were kicking him and throwing stuff at him because they all knew he was a conservative.... If anybody did that to me, I'd make sure they answer to God.</p>