Before coming to Brown, I studied at three different schools in two different countries. Across these geographic divides, every school had songs that the entire community would sing at numerous school-wide gatherings, whether it was a performance, assembly or a sporting event. A month after arriving on College Hill, and after attending several sports games and undergraduate ceremonies, I realized that Brunonians are lacking in the school chant department. It’s time to change that.
Written in 1905, “Ever True to Brown,” Brown’s official fight song, has been played at Brown sporting and ceremonial events for more than a century. But just earlier this week, as “Ever True” played while Brown football snatched its first conference win of the season, few people in the stands were able to sing along. Where else, if not at a football game, would Brunonians show their knowledge of the fight song? Even in 2010, a Brown Band historian and trumpet player Wendy Kwartin ’11 estimated that only 5% of the school knew the lyrics.
Music has long been a way to unite people and form a better sense of collective identity. In a 2016 study of a 232-person megachoir, scientists found that singing together raised feelings of inclusion and closeness even among people who did not know one another. The researchers suggested that this is why national anthems and team chants hold power over large groups of strangers who come from different backgrounds. For universities that welcome a new class of strangers every fall across numerous demographic backgrounds, such chants are especially potent.
Other universities have taken advantage of this phenomenon and ensured students learn their songs. The University of Delaware prominently displays the fight song on its Welcome Days webpage. The University of Nebraska even changed the lyrics of their fight song in hopes of turning it into a stadium-wide sing-along.
Brown’s lack of reported school spirit is no secret. According to The Herald’s Fall 2025 Poll, only 6.4% of students reported having “a lot of school spirit for Brown sports.” This lack of school spirit is correlated with low turnout to athletics events. Games are not the only opportunity for school spirit that students skip out on. Greek life, another major source of camaraderie at many universities, has a relatively sparse presence at Brown. In 2022, some seniors told The Herald that they were worried about campus culture and traditions fading after the pandemic. A first-year student also admitted that they “haven’t experienced a ton of traditions at Brown so far.” This is not to say that Brown has no school spirit. However, it could do with an increase, and a fight song is an easy way to start.
The power of school spirit isn’t confined to those currently on campus. According to a 2024 national survey of more than 20,000 graduates, alums who feel a sense of connection to their institution are 23 times more likely to donate than those who feel disconnected. According to Brown’s 2025 financial report, new gifts and pledges from alumni, parents and friends fell from $503 million to $351 million in a single fiscal year. Meanwhile, The Herald reported that Brown expects its deficit to keep growing through 2029. How connected students feel to the University today might shape what Brown can afford tomorrow.
This distant relationship between Brunonians — both current students and alums — and the fight song has not always been the case. According to Brown sports archivist Peter Mackie ’59, in the past, first-year students would not be permitted to enter the Sharpe Refectory without singing the words to “Ever True.” This was monitored by a group of students called the “Vigilance Committee,” tasked with upholding campus spirit and traditions. For nearly a century after she graduated, Beatrice Coleman ’25 would sit down at the piano and play the ‘alma mater,’ until her passing at the age of 109. In the past, Brown’s songs were a distinct marker of identity and allegiance to Brown that lasted for life — why not bring back this tradition?
Let’s make sure the next class of Brunonians knows the song that plays at their landmark college events. This is no tall order, for “Ever True to Brown” consists of eight short, intuitive lines. Surely it won’t take a student body selected for its excellent academic records — one that routinely memorizes chemistry mechanisms and convoluted historical events — much to learn. Learning the song gives us something to share with the classmates besides us, alums who came before us and students who will come after us. Sing it with me: “We are ever true to Brown for we love our college dear!”
Anoushka Jain ’30 can be reached at anoushka_jain1@brown.edu. Please send responses to this column to letters@browndailyherald.com and other opinions to opinions@browndailyherald.edu.
