Brown Club of DC

2021 Year-End Note from the BCDC Board

To our dearest BCDC community members,

As 2021 comes to a close, we want to pause and reflect with you about what a fulsome twelve months it has been. Amidst an ongoing pandemic that has surely impacted and changed all of our lives in ways both great and small, heartening and heartbreaking, the BCDC community has remained resilient. 

Together we found creative ways to maintain a sense of community here in the DMV despite the many obstacles that faced us, as well as to strengthen bonds with Brown students, faculty, and staff alike on College Hill.

Our “Ever True” spirit prevailed in a number of bright highlights: 

• We spotlighted a grand total of 52 Local Arts Heroes to support the ingenuity and resilience of those working in our own backyard to keep the creative spirit alive. 
• We hosted more than 20 virtual events, kicked off by a virtual series that examined the nexus of food, justice, and COVID, and which culminated in a lively talk with Mark Bittman that broke our attendance records with over 400 guests participating. 
• There was a profound workshop series with DC-based anti-racist educator Ayo Magwood ’89, and the Offstage Sundays series that opened the curtain to what’s compelling and challenging today in local theater. 
• There were virtual happy hours that gave way later in the year to a handful of in-person happy hours, as we tiptoed with caution once again into that particular hallmark of DMV life. 
• There was a special Friendsgiving hosted at a watering hole that hires and supports military veterans, and our first-ever progressive holiday party that took us to Fairfax, VA, and Capitol Hill in DC thus far. Editor’s note: stay tuned for the final stop in Maryland in the New Year!
• On the ground and sometimes behind the scenes, we helped to securely connect people who wanted to aid Afghan refugees, both locally and in key spots of need across the nation. 
• We were able to find office space for visiting Brown students and faculty despite COVID’s limitations, and broke bread with the first cohort of the Brown in Washington program to make the trek since completing their studies remotely. 
• We welcomed brand-new alums to the area, showcased the happenings of a BCDC member every month in our newsletter, went sailing, picnicked, discussed great literature, and clapped at Nats Stadium and Audi Field. 

In every single instance, whether in-person or virtual, we cherished the opportunity to exchange stories and learn together. We’re hopeful for the year ahead of us, despite the past one throwing quite the curveball. 

Our Board also grew as a team, which started with Michael Santos ‘07 moving back from San Francisco and joining Emily Dietsch ‘06 as Co-Presidents. We welcomed new Events Chair Laura Munoz ’20 and Vice Chair Patricia Grant EMBA ‘21, welcomed back former BCDC Co-President Kevin O’Brien ’13 as At-Large Member (fresh off his Appalachian odyssey), and opened up options to serve BCDC that can be tailored to one’s time and talents.

Of course, none of these things would have been possible without our members’ ongoing support and involvement. We thank you for your attendance at events, your enlivening notes, and your annual membership support. We hope you’ll join us for the first time or once again as members when we roll out our new membership structure in early 2022, which will feature more layered, flexible ways of supporting BCDC’s programming. Stay tuned! 

To each and every one of you, please continue to share your questions and ideas for our newsletter, social media, and overall programming. If you’d like more involvement in shaping what comes next, write to us with inquiries about Board service! We could not be more appreciative for all that members do and inspire within our offshoot of Brunonia.

Ever true,

The BCDC Board

***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: Effective September 21, 2021 until further notice (updated January 4, 2022) ***

BCDC Community Behavior & Expectations

The goal of all BCDC events is to foster connections within our alumni community, with our alma mater, and between Brown alums and the broader world. In service of that goal we require all attendees at our events to behave respectfully towards everyone they encounter at the event. Community members who fail to do so may be asked to leave the event, prohibited from attending future events, and removed from receiving BCDC communications at the board’s discretion. We thank BCDC members and friends for contributing to safe, enriching events together.

BCDC Vaccination & Mask Policy

To ensure your health and sense of safety, as well as that of other event attendees, BCDC has implemented the following policy regarding in-person events until further notice:

Proof of full vaccination (which includes booster shots) against COVID-19 for those eligible is required for indoor events, as are masks regardless of vaccination status. Proof of full vaccination against COVID-19 is likewise required for outdoor events, but masks are not required when safe social distancing is possible. Children who are not yet eligible to be vaccinated are welcome, but must wear masks at all times. As an additional precaution, rapid testing is recommended before and after attending an event.

Anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19, is waiting for COVID-19 test results, is showing COVID-19 symptoms, or has had close contact with a person who has tested positive for (or who has symptoms of) COVID-19 is kindly asked not to attend.

BCDC is monitoring all health guidelines issued by the Centers of Disease Control and the DC, Maryland, and Virginia Health Departments, and we will update our policy periodically to best protect our local community.

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