Actually, Brown has been kind of schizoprenic about its nickname(s)
the last few years:
  -Brown's 1981-82 men's basketball media guide lists both Bruins and
   Bears as nicknames;
  -the 1986 and 1988 football media guides give both Bruins and Bears,
   but the 1990 guide only has Bears;
  -the hockey guides have Bears and Bruins (81-82, 82-83), Bruins only
   (1983-84), nothing (although all the articles refer to the team
   as Bruins) (1984-85-1987-88), and Bears (1988-89 to the present).
 
Even though the 1988-89 guide says the team's nickname is "Bears", the
season prospectus article in the guide refers to the team as Bruins.
But the Meehan Auditorium article, which in the 1987-88 guide was
entitled "Meehan Auditorium: Home of the Bruins," has been changed
to "Meehan Auditorium: Home of the Bears."
 
Anybody at Brown have any idea why the University decided to change
the nickname of its athletic teams?