This interview with members of the Brown University class of 1986 highlights the undergraduate experiences of Lisa M. Caputo, Linda M. Sanches, Marcy A. Sandler, Judith Anne Williams, Pamela B. Weiler, Janet L. Kroll, and Christa M. Champion, during their 25th reunion in May 2011.

First, the group discusses their reasons for attending Brown as well as some of their fondest and most difficult memories of their time there. They reminisce about playing on the basketball, lacrosse, and field hockey teams, getting involved in the Sarah Doyle Women’s Center, and participating in theatre and the Chattertocks. They recall that the most looming social issues on campus surrounded apartheid and Brown University divestment from South Africa.

This interview is particularly strong in topics of race and women’s issues on campus. The interviewees describe noticeable social segregation based on race in places like the Sharpe Refectory dining hall. They also recall student protests against institutionalized racism. They go on to detail the 1985 speak out of women protesting sexual harassment and violence, and more generally discuss what it felt like to be women on campus with specific reference to a violent anti-woman protest by the Theta Delta Chi fraternity.

The interview concludes by each participant summarizing how Brown has affected their post-graduation decisions and career choices.