Black and Latino students should seek out all available resources at Brown, students and alumni moderators agreed during a discussion, "Navigating the Brown Experience," on Sunday night.
Paul Lowe '82 moderated the discussion, joined by his wife, Nadine Cartwright-Lowe '82, Kenneth McDaniel '69 and an intimate group of black and Latino students.
Lowe said the Brown experience is a journey, and he cautioned students not to run out of gas trying to navigate their way through Brown or drive too fast and end up in "a crash-and-burn situation."
The workshop was sponsored by The Brotherhood, a campus group that exists as a safe space for black men to discuss and express socially and politically significant views.
"A lot of what I went through (at Brown) was continuous self-definition," said McDaniel, a retired deputy CEO officer of the U.S. Navy. "I had to realize that the environment wasn't going to change to suit me."
McDaniel encouraged students to develop a "personal success plan" that would help them find comfortable study places, and to identify a resource base available at Brown. He said students should find out what kind of learning style they have, and adapt their study techniques accordingly.
Lowe is now president and founder of BHA Education Consultants in Connecticut as well as the treasurer of the Brown University Alumni Association.
"You are all-stars, and the best of the best. In 10 to 20 years, whether you believe it or not, you're going to be the next leaders," said Lowe, who referred to W.E.B. DuBois' idea of college-educated black men as the "talented tenth" of society.
Lowe said Brown is like a huge computer database: "If you go through Brown and you don't seek out help, you might as well attend a community college." He urged students to network and take advantage of Brown's resources.
Lowe said he felt there was more cohesiveness among black students when he attended Brown than there is now. The unity was expressed through the existence of black fraternities on campus, which carried the spirit created at historically black colleges.
Cartwright-Lowe said her class was not as cohesive as earlier classes but that during her time at Brown, faculty members of color would gather minority students of the class together.
Lowe listed 10 navigational tips to help guide students. He encouraged students to network with other students and alumni of color, take notes about their experience and share them with other students, be aware that racism exists but not let it inhibit their academic achievements and try to form an alliance with people who support their goals.
Some students said they feel disconnected from the resources at Brown, feel the need to compare themselves to white students and worry that their actions in the classroom represent a whole race because at times they are the sole minority in their classes. One said he felt he had to experience Brown alone when he first arrived on campus because the system was not made for him to succeed.
"We are not here on our own, and we did not make it here on our own," said Nicholas Few GS. "We participate, therefore we are," he said, commenting on the black community at Brown.
Elmo Terry-Morgan '74, associate professor of Africana studies, encouraged The Brotherhood to establish a network among students that would help students of color navigate through Brown and thrive academically.
