Dear Upperclass Students, 

We hope you are well. With only a few weeks remaining in the Fall semester, planning is underway for a healthy and safe spring semester. In her message to undergraduate students on Oct. 29, President Paxson outlined the groups of students with the option to live on campus in Brown-owned or Brown-leased housing in Spring 2021. Because you are a student in one of these groups who selected “on campus” as your location of study, we are writing to you with information on next steps. 

You now need to complete the Housing Questionnaire no later than 11:59 pm EST on Sunday, Nov. 22. (This is an extended deadline from what was originally stated on Nov. 2). In the Housing Questionnaire, you can indicate your housing preferences, including the option to identify up to three preferred neighbors. You would only be assigned near preferred neighbors who mutually identify you as a preferred neighbor. These preferences are not guarantees, but we will make every effort to assign as many mutually identified neighbors near each other as possible.  If your plans change and you will not require on-campus housing, please email spring2021@brown.edu as soon as possible to adjust your location of study and to allow a student on the waitlist for housing to receive an assignment.

You will receive your spring housing assignment in early December. When you receive your housing assignment, you will be able to select your spring move-in date/time between Jan. 9 and Jan. 12, 2021. Any student with a disability who has an approved housing accommodation for the 2020-21 academic year through Student Accessibility Services will receive a reasonable housing accommodation in their spring assignment. 

Detailed information about moving in will be provided to you via email at a later date.

Spring Housing Assignments 

Spring 2021 housing assignments are for one semester only, and students need to be prepared to vacate their residence completely at the end of spring semester. Therefore, we urge students to pack only essential items for their time on campus.

All students in residence will have access to a refrigerator and microwave. Students assigned to
suites or apartments with private, en suite kitchens will share those appliances with their suitemates. (Students need to maintain the cleanliness of these private kitchens.) Students in all other residence hall rooms will have a small “microfridge” unit provided by the University for their personal use.

Life on Campus

As in the fall, life on campus this spring will be shaped by health protocols that require adherence for every member of our community. This is required not just for your health and safety, but also the health and safety of others. You will be tested for COVID-19 after you arrive in Providence for the spring semester and will need to observe a 14-day Quiet Period from arrival until in-person classes begin on Wednesday, Jan. 27 (provided that the Campus Activity Status is at or above Level 2). The Quiet Period is a time of minimized contact with others on campus and restricted interaction with the community beyond Brown. The goals of the Quiet Period include engaging students in baseline COVID-19 testing and setting and reinforcing expectations with regard to public health. During the Quiet Period, grab-and-go meals will be available from Dining Services to all students living in Brown-owned or Brown-leased housing regardless of their meal plan status, and there will be a wide range of virtual programming and activities planned. 

Throughout the spring semester, appliances in communal kitchens will not be available for use, and the occupancy of gathering spaces will be limited. All members of the Brown community will be required to wear a face covering or mask in accordance with the University’s COVID-19 Face Covering Guidance and the State of Rhode Island Face Covering Rules and practice social distancing. Extracurricular activities and events will be shaped by the reduced capacity of indoor and outdoor spaces. You will receive education and support in following these practices so that we can build a healthy community together. Because of the required vigilance to keep our community safe, disregard of these public health practices will be considered a conduct violation that could result in discipline up to and including suspension and removal from campus. 

All plans are based on the best data and public health recommendations currently available, but the University may need to make mid-course changes or adjustments to these plans if the public health situation changes.

In Closing 

Please complete the Housing Questionnaire no later than 11:59 p.m. EST on Sunday, Nov. 22. If you have questions, please contact the Office of Residential Life at 401-863-3500 or email Res_Life@brown.edu. 

Sincerely, 
Office of Residential Life