Brown University - Liber Brunensis Yearbook (Providence, RI)

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Brown is not just its administration and its faculty. The school is also its students. The Brown experience is one of freedom and stimulation. The Brown undergraduate typifies this ex- pg:rjence. He is spirited; he is independent. He is an in- glvudualist. He might even smash bottles against a tutor's oor. President Messer was disliked for his tyrannical actions. Undergraduates feared that their liberties would be unduly constrained. In 1824, the kegs of wrath broke open. The library was invaded, the pulpit broken down. Windows were smashed in Messer's house. The Brown man is not afraid to voice his objections, nor will he allow this right abrogated. The Brown man is fiercely proud of his school. He will not allow its reputation tarnished. 1827: Students believed Presi- dent Wayland's emphasis on the practical arts to be excessive. A Brown degree would be cheapened, they feared. Some in- trepid students essayed to correct the damage. The now long- forgotten tradition of Book-Burning came into existences Donning fantastic costumes, the students suspended their entire year's production of essays and papers between two poles and set them afire. After much ritual and singing, the flames of knowledge rivaled the Providence sunset. Various men have worried about students' morals. Presi- dent Robinson sowed prolific epigrams among the under- graduates. He hoped to nurture their moral tone. The Brown man will listen to advice. But he will also sow wild oats. He will not allow his life to be run by others. Rumbles of dis- content were heard. 1853: In the Spring, students marched about the city to the main pier, where they proceeded by boat to Foxpoint Channel. There, after a Latin service and an oration, they sank text books in rhetoric and logic. Book- Burials had replaced Book-Burning. As a result, Narra- gansett Bay had to be dredged. Books are no longer buried, although now and then an irate student may be seen flinging an unsatisfactory term paper into the Wriston Quadrangle moat. But the Brown man has not lost his spirit. He still jealously guards the liberal traditions of his predecessors. Discontent is still manifested. Objections are made known. Possibly a letter to the Herald or a Cammarian Club report has replaced the more flamboyant techniques of disapproval. But the Brown man will not allow his liberties to be constrained. These are guaranteed him in his school's Charter. They have been passed down through the years of his school's history. He now must guard them for the future. ... and from its students

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creative participation . . . The Brown experiencespirited, individualistic, all-pervading. The Brown educationa unique experience. Strong opinions father dissention. The college enriches this. She personifies constructive individualism, renders it creative, and iconoclasm fruitful. Like the rest of the experience, the Brown education has grown and developed. Different men have contributed in different fashions. Intense, fearless, strong in intellect and will, President Francis Wayland moved to tighten the reigns of moral and mental discipline. He espoused closer student-faculty rela- tions: the sons of Brown were part of an academic family. In expediting his family plan, Wayland required all instruc- tors to dwell within the college walls. He encouraged class- room discussions in his courses. Greater attention should be paid to the students' cultivation of taste. These practices culminated in Wayland's now-famous Report on Changes in the System of Collegiate Education. At the 1849 Commence- ment, Wayland precursed the New System with his own pre- cipitous resignation. Steadily decreasing enrollment and funds Francis Wayland, fourth president; 1824-1855. had occasioned this dramatic action. The alarmed Corporation mollified Wayland by accepting his far-reaching proposals. More curriculum changes were in store for Brown. Presi- dent Robinson expanded the number of courses, liberalized the elective system, and raised the passing grade from 25 to 50 percent. One strong-minded subordinate, Bruce Bigelow, over- hauled the admissions system. His screening method soon found many Ivy League imitators. President Wriston revised the curriculum three times. His last innovation, the intro- duction of the I.C. course, initiated freshmen and sophomores into graduate-type seminars. They were, hopefully, a stimulus to independent thinking. Commensurate with Wayland's ideas, the new courses encouraged creative participation in class work. But the Brown education is not merely these spectacular revisions brought about by the few. It is the small challenge, the daily stimulation brought about by the many. Independence pervades the classrooms. Learning is not forced; it is sought. Excellence has been built over the years. Continually, one individualist occasioned another. One innovation led to another; fruitful discoveries catalyzed further finding. Each of Brown's mentors contributed something valuable, something unique. E

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a character spirited and independent. Class crew of 1874.