Standing atop Providence's historic College Hill, the Van Wickle Gates are the symbol of Brown. The gates are opened just twice a year — once inward during convocation, when members of the incoming class march into the Brown community, and once outward during graduation, when seniors leave Brown to enter the "real world." On the gates is an inscription from the words of Cicero, which reads: "These studies fortify one's youth, delight one's old age; amid success they are an ornament, in failure they are a refuge and a comfort."