As student leaders at Brown you have several responsibilities to yourself and the population you serve. As a student, it is imperative to take advantage of and access the many resources Brown University has to offer. You must be the best that you can be at Brown by engaging in dialogue with faculty, staff, and peers.

Be brave enough to take the (informed) risks that life presents. Don’t be afraid to hear your own voice and express yourself. You will have to exercise attentive listening skills. Give yourself a chance to enjoy life at Brown and realize that your experience is what you make it. Take time to be by yourself in order to reflect on the many voices you have heard throughout any given day or week. Allow academia to stimulate your sense of being and help you chart your next course in life.

While attending undergraduate school, take advantage of the opportunity to cultivate competency, consciousness, and a commitment to enriching oneself and others. Take the time to determine where you are going and what you must do in order to get there. Learn from your trials and errors and be the wiser. Be thoughtful about yourself you will be automatically thoughtful of others.

As a student leader, you must be able to draw a distinction between your personal agenda and that of the population you serve. You must have the ability to balance the conflicts that may arise when differences of agendas occur and realize that as a student leader, you are in the position to help create compromise. Furthermore, because of the trust that other students have given you, it is important for you to be honest, sincere, civil and forthright. This will also ensure that your voice will be heard. By being part of the solution, model appropriate values that need to be promoted within the Brown community such as being cross-cultural and able to interact with people irrespective of their race, class, gender, or sexual orientation; serve as a community builder. Our existing society cries for visionary leadership and you could play a role in shaping our future!

The name Third World was identified as a descriptor for students of color beginning in the late 70’s and early 80’s by a population of students who viewed themselves as visionaries and leaders of the future. The minority students on campus looked to the writings of Franz Fanon, philosopher, statesman and diplomat, for a more accurate descriptor because the “minority” descriptor was pejorative. These students wanted to make a difference on Brown University’s campus during their undergraduate experience. They also wanted to leave a legacy so that their successors would know that they too must care about the Brown community and not ascribe to the divide and conquer philosophy. This descriptor was more accurate to their mission of working with all people and building coalitions among the various minority groups. Being selfish by worrying about one group’s struggle was not their mode of operating. It was thought that any group struggle affected all people. Therefore all people need to be part of the solution.

It is important to note that the Third World Center promotes unity among diversity. This philosophy is applied through our daily practices. Anyone who comes through the doors of the TWC with a need, is given special attention regardless of their race, creed, class, gender or sexual orientation. This can be characterized as a global concept but not a new concept. We are at an educational institution where we not only learn, but also teach as well as exchange ideas among students, faculty, and staff. This cannot be a one way process. It must be a two-way process that includes students, faculty and staff—just as we are all teachers we must be learners.

There are those who hear the name Third World Center and believe that this descriptor means “do not enter if you are not an international student”, some believe it means if you are white do not enter, others hear the name and think “minorities only”. It would be hypocritical not to note that, in one way or the other, we are all multiracial. Although we may not emphasize our diverse racial and/or ethnic roots, we cannot forget that a significant part of the TWC family is multiracial.

The Third World Center receives all of its funding from the university and is in existence to assure that the needs and interests of Third World students are addressed. During the Fall of 2002, it is our hope that a Strategic Planning Committee will be convened with the charge to initiate efforts to assess Third World student needs and interests as we chart the TWC’s future directions. If you are interested in participating in this effort, please contact Anne Marie Ponte at 863-2120 or e-mail Anne_Ponte@Brown.edu. Do not wait to be called upon to assist in this effort because it will be initiated to serve in your interests.
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