Come on, Brown Univeristy is in the best section of Providence, which is
overall one of the safest cities I've ever been to.  The gang-area
theorey of lack of support does not hold at Brown or at Providnce
College, whose rink is located right in the middle of a secluded,
non-residential campus.  Hell, the only things around the PC rink are
dorms, classrooms and parking lots.
 
Anybody who has concerns about the safety of Providence need not be
concerned.  Providence is one of the safest areas around.
 
The problem with attendance at Brown, at this holds for all sports, not
just hockey, is that we are Brown.  For whatever that means, students
here on the whole don't care for athletics, but would rather study on
Sunday night (or even a Friday or Saturday) than go watch a hockey game,
which in the play-offs cost $4 as opposed to the free admission during
the year.  I try hard to bring friends to the gmaes, but during
mid-terms, no one wants to give up "valuable study time."  Not to say
the academics aren't important, but to some extent, it can be overdone.
The problem, IMHO, is the mindset of Brown students, not the "slum-like"
area that Providence isn't.
 
David Blackburn
Brown University '98