It was first published in 1984 "as a two-page offering of student writing on brightly colored paper".
[2] It was revived in 1986 as a Brown University, student-run opinion journal that published articles of both national and campus concern that other publications ignored.
It was produced by Jennifer Polli ('87) and Karen Engel ('87), and described itself as "alternative journal" of conservative thought.
[3] The Brown Spectator ran with a wide array of political and non-political topics ranging from campus issues to national issues, as well as music reviews and political cartoons.
The journal's most recent article was published in July 2014, and its website has not been updated since.