Dear Members of the Brown Community,

As we approach the end of the Fall 2020 semester, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your commitment and vigilance that have allowed our community to continue to study, work and conduct research safely during this extraordinary time. The successes of the fall term have demonstrated that we can work together to greatly minimize the spread of COVID-19, which is important as we look ahead to the spring term.

We are writing to reiterate Brown’s plans for the coming semester and to ensure that all members of our community have a clear understanding of the University’s next steps as we head into what we hope will be a Winter Break filled with rest, reflection and replenishment. In this message, we address the following:

• Spring semester plans and vaccine status
• Winter Break operations
• Telecommuting after the break
• Travel restrictions and other ongoing health guidance

In keeping with Brown’s Oct. 29 announcement regarding plans for the Spring 2021 semester, we are planning to allow a larger number of undergraduates, including first-years, to return to campus for an in-person residential experience in Spring 2021, while students who choose to study remotely will be able to continue to do so. Likewise, graduate students will continue to have the option to enroll in coursework in a remote or hybrid format, and deans in the medical school will communicate directly with medical students about schedules and operations on an ongoing basis. Faculty will continue to have the option to teach, mentor and advise in-person or remotely, and staff who can work remotely should continue to do so. Any employee who will work on campus must do so in alignment with an approved Return to Campus Plan.

While rates of COVID-19 infection are continuing to increase in many states across the country, including Rhode Island, Brown is still fortunate to be faring well. Infection rates among students, faculty and staff have remained well below statewide infection rates. This demonstrates that with good adherence to public health measures like distancing, mask-wearing and hand-washing, coupled with robust testing and contact tracing, it is possible to maintain campus operations.

Spring semester plans and vaccine status

While we will welcome larger numbers of students to campus, and we expect to begin the spring term on schedule, Jan. 20, 2021 (with undergraduate move-in Jan. 9-12), the beginning of in-person instruction will depend on the public heath situation and state and other government orders in place at that time. As we head into Winter Break, Brown remains at Level 1 Campus Activity Status. If there are any changes to operations based on the public health situation, we don’t expect to communicate any changes until after Brown reopens in January, if necessary.

We will maintain our commitment to single-occupancy rooms in residence halls for the coming semester. In an effort to safely accommodate as many students as possible, Brown will also be leasing rooms at a downtown Providence hotel. These single-occupancy rooms will be in an area of the hotel occupied only by Brown students with Brown University Shuttle service provided to and from campus. This measure will ensure enough rooms for all students on the University housing waitlist who have indicated they are interested in this option. Students living in residence halls or leased off-campus housing in Spring 2021 will again be required to observe a 14-day Quiet Period upon arrival for study at Brown. Newly arriving students and returning students spending the break away from Providence are encouraged to be tested for COVID-19 — and receive their test results — before they arrive.

All incoming and returning students to the Providence area also will sign an updated Student Commitment, attesting that they will follow required public health practices and accompanying campus policies to join in the responsibility of caring for each other and our neighbors in Providence. For all who work, study and live at Brown, requirements for mask-wearing, social distancing, socializing with a small and stable group of people both on and off campus, and participating in routine COVID-19 testing (for community members engaging with others and activity on campus) will remain in place.

In recent weeks, there have been several encouraging national reports about the development of COVID-19 vaccines that could begin to see wide distribution sometime next year. The University is prepared to support the state's vaccine distribution plans. However, guidance is continuing to evolve at the federal and state levels regarding availability, priority populations and many other details. The University is not yet in a position to make decisions regarding whether vaccinations of students, or faculty and staff working on campus, will be required or not. We will continue to be in touch with state health leaders as we monitor the situation closely and will provide information to the campus community as it becomes available.

Winter Break operations

The majority of administrative offices and all academic departments will be closed Dec. 21 through Jan. 1. However, Dining Services will remain open for students on a meal plan, and emergency services for students are available during this and all academic breaks. Students should consult the Division of Campus Life’s Winter Break resources webpage for detailed information on specific services and operating hours.

The OMAC COVID-19 testing center will be open at reduced hours over the break, and all community members who remain on campus and in Providence will be required to continue to get tested according to their assigned frequency. Shuttles, mail services and libraries will be operating on reduced schedules, while the Service Response Center for Facilities Management will be staffed with 24-hour coverage throughout Winter Break.

Telecommuting after the break

After the Winter Break period, to the extent possible, faculty and staff who can work from home — in full or in part as determined by their supervisor — should continue to do so. All work location designations are assigned by supervisors in alignment with approved Return to Campus plans.

Travel restrictions and other health guidance

Given the continued uncertainty regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions for all University-sponsored international and domestic travel will continue until further notice, extending into Spring 2021. Faculty, staff and graduate students can request exemptions for essential travel.

As you contemplate your activities over the Winter Break, we ask that you remember the importance of limiting your exposure to small, stable groups of family and friends, and practicing distancing, mask-wearing and other health protocols as you prepare for the spring. In order to have a successful semester, it is imperative that we all continue to share the responsibility of taking public health protocols seriously. It is because of your vigilance and your determination to embrace critical public health practices that our community has been able to continue to study, work and conduct research at Brown during this extraordinary time.

As we have throughout the pandemic, we will continue to closely monitor the evolving public health situation over the coming weeks. We recognize that this continues to be a tumultuous time. We hope the upcoming break provides a welcome respite and time for important connection with loved ones. We look forward to seeing you — whether in-person or virtually — in the coming year.

Sincerely,

Richard M. Locke
Provost

Barbara Chernow
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration

Eric Estes
Vice President for Campus Life