Officially, Brown is dubbed the substance-free dormitory-- but its residents claim otherwise. Student Health and Residence Life and Housing Services are conducting a survey to assess the practicability and future viability of Brown.
Officially, Brown is dubbed the substance-free dormitory—but its residents claim otherwise.
In fact, Student Health and Residence Life and Housing Services are conducting a survey of current and past Brown residents in the upcoming weeks to assess the practicability and future viability of Brown.
Students living in Brown sign a contract that binds them to remain alcohol, drug and smoke-free, both in and out of the dorm. Students who fail to abide by this policy may find themselves packing up their belongings.
“In the worst-case scenario, a student discovered with alcohol would be relocated to another dorm on East Campus,” said Terry Lynch, Brown’s residence coordinator.
Lynch is not aware of anyone who has violated the policy this year and said if students choose to break the pact, there would be no reason for the dorm to exist at all.
But it’s no big secret to most students that the contract is often violated.
“More than 50 percent of my fellow residents in Brown did not abide by the substance-free policy,” said junior James Coyne, who lived in the dorm his freshman year.
Current Brown resident Diana Ozemebhoya had a similar experience and said signing the contract has “no real influence on drinking whatsoever.”
Once in the dorm, however, students may be more inclined to respect the substance-free policy.
“Living in Brown kept a lot of people from drinking because there is peer-pressure not to drink,” Coyne said.
This year, Brown had twice as many applicants than beds, and students cite several reasons for choosing to live in there. Some students, such as freshman Mariel Strouse, said they made a personal commitment not to drink alcohol.
But other students were influenced by their parents to select the lifestyle. “[Brown is] ‘officially’ substance-free for the name of the school, and parents won’t worry with their kids there,” senior Gina Gu said.
Students pointed out that living in Brown provides a quieter atmosphere than other East Campus dorms and encourages its inhabitants to study and work harder.
“Brown provides a good environment because I can concentrate better [on schoolwork] with other responsible kids,” current Brown resident Katya Fernandez said.
But freshman Omari Wallace said that there’s a distinct trade-off for this calm and peaceful setting.
“Everyone is too involved in academics,” Wallace said. “Residents from other dorms have more personality that I can relate to.”
Although Brown may offer more security and a cleaner setting than the other dorms, residents are sometimes singled out for living there.
“The Brown stigma is not about substance-free, but fun-free,” Coyne said.
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