Dear Students, 

In our communication last week about your Spring 2021 Location of Study Form, we noted that we would follow up soon to gather information about your plans for the end of the fall semester. This message contains important updates and provides details on some essential actions required of you,

including many that are essential to our ability as a community to continue to promote health and safety and help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Please read this email carefully and note the various deadlines.

End of Fall Semester 

The fall semester will conclude with a remote reading week and remote final exams after Thanksgiving Break. However, if you travel away from the Providence area for Thanksgiving Break, it is our expectation that you should not return to the Providence area until January 2021. Regardless of your departure timeline, you must maintain your current frequency of COVID-19 testing for as long as you are in the Providence area.

If you plan to leave Providence at Thanksgiving Break or at the end of fall semester, it is important to help protect your health and the health of the home and community that you will travel to. We encourage you to reduce in-person contacts and practice strict social distancing and mask wearing for 14 days prior to your date of departure — especially if you plan to travel by airplane, train or bus. For example, if you plan to leave Providence before Thanksgiving, you should plan to reduce in-person contacts around Nov. 10. 

In addition, if you have not yet been vaccinated against the 2020-21 seasonal influenza virus, you should call Health Services at 401-863-3953 to schedule an appointment as soon as possible. We also encourage you to check with local boards of public health regarding travel restrictions that may be in place for your destination. Additional information on travel restrictions can be found on the CDC website. 

Departing the Providence Area

All students who are leaving Providence between semesters will be paused from testing until they return in January. By Friday, Nov. 13, please log into the MyBrown platform to enter the date when you plan to depart. You will be able to select from a date range; if you are not certain of your departure date, please select the latest likely date for your departure. As noted above you must maintain your current frequency of COVID-19 testing for as long as you are in the Providence area — any student who is in the Providence area while they have paused testing will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards.

If you have questions about testing or need to make changes after Nov. 13, email the Student Testing Call Center at studenttesting@brown.edu or call 401-863-6500. (Students cannot make changes to their testing between Dec. 18 and Jan. 4.) For additional resources, please consult the information on the Healthy Brown website, especially the information on the student testing page.

Remaining in Providence between Semesters 

Students who remain in Providence between semesters must continue to undergo COVID-19 testing with the same frequency. You need to log into MyBrown by Friday, Nov. 13, to indicate that you will remain in Providence. Students who remain in Providence and do not undergo the testing required by the University will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards. 

Students remaining in Providence over Winter Break must abide by University policies and should not travel outside of Providence. Students who must travel outside of Rhode Island for emergency or essential purposes must first check in with a dean in Student Support Services for guidance on the protocol for returning to campus. Students may also consult with a dean if they have any questions about staying in Providence during Winter Break. 

If you would like to extend your meal plan or obtain a meal plan for Winter Break (Dec. 12 to Jan. 8), you need to do so in MyBrown by Nov. 13. The Winter Break meal plan is $197 per week ($28 per day) or $759.86 for the full 27 days. Students who receive University scholarship may be eligible for support to cover some or all of these costs. You can request an evaluation for support for a meal plan in the same form in MyBrown.  

Returning to Providence for Spring Semester 

Spring classes will begin remotely on Wednesday, Jan. 20; those classes with a hybrid option will begin meeting in-person on Wednesday, Jan. 27 (provided that the Campus Activity Status is at or above Level 2). Students will again follow a Quiet Period from arrival until in-person classes begin. Off-campus students returning to Providence need to plan their return to allow adequate time for quarantine per Rhode Island Department of Health guidelines — those in effect in January — in advance of in-person classes. Students returning to Providence must enter their return date in MyBrown, by Sunday, Dec. 13, in order to resume their testing. (You will be able to select from a date range; if you are not certain of your exact date, please select the earliest likely date range for your return.) 

Students who return to the Providence area for spring semester will be required to agree to an updated Student Commitment to COVID-19 Community Health and Safety Requirements (Student Commitment) and to complete a new online educational module by Friday, Dec. 18, 2020. You will receive a follow-up email with further information and an individualized link.

Please note that off-campus students will not be allowed on campus during the Quiet Period preceding the start of spring semester (Jan. 9-26, 2021) except to engage in required COVID-19 testing.

In Closing

Thank you for your ongoing efforts to care for yourselves and others through this difficult time. Know that there are many resources and people who are here for you as you work through your various decisions and planning. Please consult this FAQs page for questions about the End of Semester Information form. You can also email spring2021@brown.edu or call 401-863-3500. For questions about testing, email the Student Testing Call Center at studenttesting@brown.edu or call 401-863-6500. 

Best wishes for the final weeks of the semester. 

Sincerely,

Eric Estes
Vice President for Campus Life

Rashid Zia
Dean of the College