|
|
Mosaic
Brown Alumni Affinity & Diversity Newsletter
|
|
SEPTEMBER 2023: Spotlight On // Affinity Network News // From College Hill Today // Events // Giving Back // Moment of Joy // About This Newsletter
|
|
Greetings from the Alumni Belonging Programs team,
There are times when national and international events can deeply affect Brown and the communities it serves. The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, which overturned decades of precedent supporting the consideration of race as one of many factors in college admissions, is one such event. We know and understand that members of our community may feel the impact of this decision on a personal level. President Christina H. Paxson shared in her letter to the community on June 29 that “Brown is and will remain firmly committed to advancing the diversity that is central to achieving the highest standards of academic excellence and preparing our students to grow and lead in a complex world.”
Alumni play a key role in supporting diversity initiatives. In this issue, we spotlight the efforts of alumni affinity group volunteers who connect with newly admitted students to encourage their enrollment at Brown, contributing to the University’s diversity efforts through personal outreach.
Our affinity groups are a celebration of the diversity in our community and would not exist without the leadership and dedication of alumni volunteer leaders. During the last year, two such leaders—Jonathan Mooney ’00 and Eli Wolff ’00—were joined by six other steering committee members as they worked tirelessly to establish our newest affinity group. The Disability and Neurodivergence Alumni Collective (DNAC) formally launched earlier this week, and although the committee members experienced a tragic loss with Eli’s passing in April, they have been strengthened by his lasting impact as a global advocate for disability rights.
Sincerely,
Silvina Hernandez Duran ’17, Program Coordinator, Alumni Belonging Programs
Valerie Cordeiro, Assistant Director, Alumni Belonging Programs
Mary Ward, Senior Director, Alumni Belonging Programs
The Alumni Belonging Programs team focuses on building and supporting an ecosystem of communities based on identity, affinity, and shared interests.
|
|
|
|
Spotlight on
Highlighting people and achievements in the Brunonian universe
|
Alumni volunteers extend community to newly admitted students through affinity group matriculation campaigns
By leveraging the collective expertise and perspectives of its diverse community over the last several years, Brown alumni have successfully forged a grassroots effort to address a major need: increasing the diversity of Brown’s student body.
Modeled after the efforts of Inman Page Black Alumni Council (IPC) leaders, including Harold Bailey ’70 LHD’95 hon., P’99, P’03, Judy Sanford-Harris ’74, P’14, and Eldridge Gilbert ’05, that began in 2009, five alumni affinity groups now recruit their fellow Brunonians to serve as resources for newly admitted students and families from underrepresented groups. During the 2023 admission cycle, 349 alumni volunteers were in touch with more than 1,000 admitted students, helping to contribute to a steady rise in enrollment of diverse students at Brown over the last decade.
“While we may not have every answer to every question, it is just as important for students to simply know that they can and will succeed at Brown. We want them to know that there is a place at Brown for them and that there is a community of alumni ready to support their journey.”
–Araceli Méndez Hintermeister ’12
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Affinity group network news
|
|
News from Brown’s alumni affinity group communities
|
|
Highlights from our community’s recent gatherings
As we begin the new fiscal and academic year, we want to remember some great moments of community from the last several months. Affinity groups welcomed new leaders into the fold and either hosted or participated in a variety of events to engage, celebrate, and empower community members.
A few highlights include:
|
|
|
|
The Brown Women’s Network, which brings together students and alumnae from a variety of backgrounds, also continues to create wonderful intersectional programming, such as their recorded signature event series last spring. And finally, this year’s Reunion and Commencement Weekend marked the first time that all affinity groups hosted a community event for alumni and new graduates.
|
|
|
Read more about each affinity group community’s year in review and get involved:
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
From College Hill today
|
|
News, initiatives, academic research, and recent developments in support of a more inclusive Brown community and society
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Events
Upcoming
|
 |
Sunday, September 24 at 8 p.m. ET
One Bear, One Book discussion of “There, There” by Tommy Orange |
 |
Monday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m. GMT | London
“One Small Visit” private screening with director Jo Chim ’91, hosted by the Brown Club of the U.K.
|
|
Sunday, October 1 at 2 p.m. ET | Atlanta, GA
Theatre Outing: “Cullud Wattah” with the Brown Club of Georgia
|
|
Sunday, October 22 at 7 p.m. ET
Coming Out! Celebrating Intersectional Experiences - Asian/Asian American and LGBTQIA+ Alumni |
|
Sunday, October 22 at 7 p.m. ET
One Bear, One Book discussion of “Less is Lost” by Andrew Sean Greer ’92 |
|
Saturday, November 4 at 6:30 p.m. SGT | Singapore
Ivy Ball with the Brown Club of Singapore
|
|
October 7–15, 2024
Brown Travelers – Pillars of Pride: Island Life in Ancient Greece and Turkey
See more upcoming Travelers trips |
|
|
Throwback to:
|
|
|
|
All in-person events are subject to change and must observe current local public health regulations.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Giving Back
|
|
Uplifting stories of volunteerism and philanthropy
|
Building a Brown where all belong
A central part of Brown’s mission is to foster a vibrant and inclusive learning environment. With their gifts to the Pathways to Diversity & Inclusion Fund, Brown alumni are not only demonstrating their shared conviction in this mission, but are helping make it a reality. As part of the Brown Annual Fund family of funds, this giving opportunity enhances the experience of students across College Hill through creative programming and opportunities as outlined in Brown’s diversity and inclusion action plan.
So far, gifts to this fund have helped open the Community Closet @ Stonewall House, a safe and supportive space for students who are in the process of transitioning or exploring alternative clothing options; supported the newly established U-FLi Peer Counselor program; expanded archival and community collaboration projects within Africana studies; and much more.
|
|
|
Get Involved
Help the University continue its commitment to foster a truly inclusive campus for each generation of students who come through the Van Wickle Gates. Learn more about Brown’s diversity, equity, and inclusion programs and how you can help support them.
|
|
|
|
|
Moment of Joy
|
|
|
Class of 2023 student honorees beam with pride at the Unity Celebration, an annual tradition during Reunion and Commencement Weekend that celebrates the diversity of Brown’s student and alumni community.
|
|
|
|
About this Newsletter
|
|
This biannual e-newsletter was created by the Alumni Belonging Programs team to celebrate diversity across identities, amplify the University’s work to create a more inclusive Brown community, and foster a greater sense of belonging among members of the University’s historically underrepresented groups. The team works to build and support an ecosystem of communities based on identity, affinity, and shared interests that speak to the multiplicity and intersectionality of the alumni community’s lived experiences, interests, and needs.
About the top banner: The buildings in the illustration reflect some of the communities, departments, and centers that helped shape the lived experiences, interests, and perspectives of our diverse alumni communities. Pictured clockwise from top right: Undocumented, First-Generation College, and Low-Income Student Center (U-Fli), Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender, Maddock Alumni Center, Stonewall House, Native American and Indigenous Studies Initiative (NAISI), Brown Center for Students of Color (BCSC), Page-Robinson Hall and the Global Brown Center for International Students (GBC), and Churchill House.
|
|
|
What do you think?
|
|
Help us pick future topics by sharing your thoughts.
|
|
|
|
|
Connect with Brown’s diverse alumni communities
Website | Facebook
|
|
|
|
