Student advocacy efforts over the past decade highlighted the need for enhanced support services to ensure the holistic success of first-generation college and low-income (FLi) students at Brown University. During the spring of 2014, a collective of first-generation college undergraduates developed a Group Independent Study Project (GISP) to explore the experiences of those who are the first in their families to attend elite universities. Their project set the tone for the creation of the first inter-Ivy conference in 2015 (titled 1vyG), the establishment of a new organization called First-Gens@Brown, and a proposal for the development of a First-Generation College Student Center at Brown. 

During the same period, students from the Brown Immigrant Rights Coalition (BIRC) began organizing to address the financial aid and admissions policies that posed barriers to access for undocumented and DACAmented students. Due to their advocacy and collaborative efforts with campus administrators, particularly the College and the Office of the Provost, the University changed its policies in 2016 to consider undocumented and DACAmented students as domestic applicants with access to need-blind financial aid. Furthermore, administrators and student advocates recognized the need for specialized advising, community-building programming, auditing of current resources, and professional development for faculty and staff to advance the academic success of undocumented students. The Undocumented Student Initiative (USI) was, therefore, launched by the Office of the Provost to advance these efforts in conjunction with new developments to enhance support for first-generation college and low-income students at the University. 

In 2016, the First-Generation College and Low-Income Student (FLi) Center was established to lead and create academic and personal success initiatives for undocumented, first-generation college, and low-income students. On September 16, 2016, the center officially opened its doors on the fifth floor of the Sciences Library. The initial priorities from the founding documents demonstrated a need to establish a centralized and accessible resource center specifically for first-generation college students that would cultivate a sense of belonging via community-building programs, and provide opportunities for leadership development, advising and resource referral. While the proposal focuses primarily on the first-generation college student experience, student advocates further shared how their experiences as low-income students impacted their time at Brown and expressed a desire for increased coordination of support. The term “low-income” was added to the center’s name before it was officially launched; however, the priorities regarding student support and access remained the same. 

In the fall of 2018, the professional staff of the center, supported by the AVP of Campus Life, drafted a name change proposal in order to have the center’s name better reflect the full range of student populations that it serves, from FLi to U-FLi, to include the support of undocumented and DACAmented students at Brown. The name change was approved by the Office of the President and Vice President for Campus Life before the start of the 2019 spring semester. 

Read below to learn more about other significant moments in the history of advocacy and support for first-generation college, low-income, and undocumented students at Brown.