Welcome to Brown – everything’s quirky here
The admissions committee was reported to have once said, “If the applicant isn’t quirky, we can’t admit them.” Dean Logan Powell purportedly shrugged, then followed up with, “You’re right. They just won’t survive.”
How does that saying go? That our environment reflects our being? Well then, that must hold true for the Brown campus. Let’s take a stroll down a windy lane and appreciate the quirkiness of Brown’s campus. Some of these quirks, you may have known already. Others, you may discover here. Yet more others, you will discover yourself.
1. The bear near Alumni Center
Located across from Keeney, a bear statue stoically stands near the Alumni Center. You may pass its back when rushing to the Main Green, thinking, “That’s just another bear statue,” but this particular bear hosts a secret. If you peer into its ever-so-slightly-ajar mouth, you’ll discover a human face staring back at you. The face is made of bronze and the statue is supposed to be a representation of the “Brown mascot in a bear suit” (Alumni Association’s report on the Alumni Center), but in my opinion, if you look into its mouth at night, the face seems a bit trapped. It gets a tad creepy.
2. Underground tunnels
I’m sure you’ve heard of them. If not, it’s pretty self-explanatory.
3. Rooftop climbing
From the Classics building to Metcalf, there are few buildings on campus that students have not conquered. As a mountaineer faces the steepest angles with determination, so do Brown students face inaccessible rooftops with ceaseless adrenaline.
4. The supposedly haunted Annmary Memorial Building
This building is an art museum, library, and – wait for it – a mausoleum. The memorial was built in the 1900s by a General Rush Hawkins, dedicated to his late wife. They were both entombed in a crypt in this building after passing away, but not before the general threatened anyone who dared to disturb his wife’s resting place. Thus, the urban legend arose that the building is haunted, with several of her mementos being stolen in the 70s. Speaking of haunted – apparently, University Hall served as an army hospital during the Revolutionary War, and you ~may~ be able to catch a glimpse of a ghost through a second-floor window at night.
5. John Hay Library
The John Hay Library is not only a great place to study around sunset (which I highly recommend), but it’s also home to four anthropodermic books (confirmed to be bound with real human skin), a lock of Edgar Allen Poe’s hair (along with other belongings given by a socialite girl he dated in Providence), an HP Lovecraft collection, a large (I’m talking thousands) collection of miniature soldiers on display on the second floor, and a collection completely dedicated to “Conjuring and Magicana” (apparently, it’s thousands of books dedicated to alchemy, astrology, and witchcraft, some of them dating all the way back to the 1600s). (Sidebar: I asked to see the anthropodermic books once, but the lady let me know that they weren’t showing anyone those books. Sad face.)
6. Grad Center Architecture
No one really knows why Grad Center was built this way – for shiggles? aesthetics? torture? There’s a widely circulated rumor, however, that Grad Center was built to be riot-proof. Looking around, it makes sense – narrow hallways, tight windows (few of them, too), confusing spaces, and the largest amount of exposed concrete you’ll ever find.
Nothing quite like exposed concrete says home.
7. Who knew the SciLi could be art?
We are all familiar with Brown’s arguably questionable investments in campus art pieces. It’s gotten to the point that the tin foil statue is the most normal one. However, a lot of us weren’t around when there was a giant, three-story painting of a donkey on the side of the SciLi (and yes, I’m talking about the outside). The painting (“(Untitled) Donkey”) graced campus for three short months in 2004, made 750 friends on Facebook, and then left. But, before that, in 2000, the SciLi was gifted with a short two weeks of a large game of Tetris spanning 10 floors. Conceived and executed by the Tech House, the game was played after library hours. Here’s a video of it in action. There was even an NYT article written about it.
8. Josiah Carberry
A beloved, albeit fictional, professor of psychoceramics (cracked pots), Josiah Carberry was born on a bulletin board in 1929. The notice announcing his existence said, “On Thursday evening at 8:15 in Sayles Hall J. S. Carberry will give a lecture on Archaic Greek Architectural Revetments in Connection with Ionian Philology. For tickets and further information apply to Prof. John Spaeth.” Find his Facebook profile here.
These quirks really do reflect on who we are as a community: I mean, each tidbit made me ever more grateful to be at Brown. Doesn’t it make you glad (or perhaps self-conscious) that you were considered quirky enough to join this campus? Here’s to sustained use of the word “quirky” when describing Brown.
