Community Response to COVID-19
Healthy Brown
August 11, 2020
VP for Campus Life Eric Estes and Dean of the College Rashid Zia
Tags Undergraduates

To Continuing Undergraduate Students and Incoming Transfer and RUE Students: Update on Academic Planning and Housing for Fall 2020

Updates

Dear Students,

We hope that you and your families are healthy and safe. As you read in President Paxson’s message earlier today, Brown will take a phased approach to bringing students back for the fall semester in light of the shifting public health conditions of the global pandemic. We’re writing to provide you with important information to explain changes to academic planning and housing with the new phased approach. It is important that you read this message in full.

In the first phase of the fall term, all undergraduate classes will be taught fully online from September 9 until the week of October 5, and only a limited number of undergraduates will be permitted to return and have access to campus beginning at the end of August. The majority of undergraduate students will start the Fall 2020 semester studying remotely, preferably outside of the Providence area.

Students enrolled for the fall who don’t receive permission to come to campus in the first phase will be permitted to come to campus in a second phase of move-in that will begin in late September, provided the public health situation improves. This phased approach greatly reduces the number of students expected to be on campus at the beginning of the first term of the three-semester model announced July 7.

This letter provides information relevant for all students and addresses topics specific to students living on and off campus. At the end of every section of this message, we provide a set of links to the material described in that section, so that you have easy access to the requirements, guidance and resources you need for how Brown will operate in light of the pandemic.

Process for applying to move into a campus residence hall by the end of August

Students may apply to move into a residence hall starting at the end of August, if they:

  • live in environments that are unsafe;
  • live in circumstances that make remote study difficult;
  • are already in Providence and are unable to travel home;
  • have previously-arranged plans for archival or laboratory research than can only be done on campus; or
  • have other exceptional circumstances (to be assessed on an individual basis).

Applications are due no later than Sunday, August 16 at 11:59 p.m. (EDT). Students will be notified of the outcome of their application no later than Wednesday, August 19 at 5 p.m. (EDT). Additional information regarding arrival and check-in will be provided to students who are approved to live on campus before Labor Day.

Students who do not have permission to move into a residence hall before Labor Day are strongly encouraged to remain away from Providence until they are invited to return. Students who have health conditions that may place them in a high-risk category are also strongly urged to remain at home.

Access this important form online:

Responsibilities of all students who are living in Providence (on or off campus) by the end of August

All students who are living in the City of Providence, whether they live on or off campus, will be required to read and sign a form called the Student Commitment to COVID-19 Community Health and Safety Requirements; complete an online educational module; and follow a set of pre-arrival requirements and recommendations. All students will be subject to Brown’s COVID-19 Campus Safety Policy. They also will be required to enroll and begin participation in the COVID-19 testing program, including a required test upon arrival in Providence. We will follow up separately with students living off campus to gather information about your arrival date.

Students living on campus will be required to observe the 14-day quiet period, which will include a period of time when students will be expected to remain in their residence halls except for a limited number of specific essential activities. Meals and other support will be provided. Students living off campus will be required to follow RIDOH’s quarantine requirements.

Failure to comply with public health guidelines on or off campus (wearing masks, social distancing, testing, contact tracing, and limiting the size of social gatherings for attendees and especially hosts) will be a violation of the Code of Student Conduct and will be addressed through the COVID-19 Student Conduct Procedure with sanctions up to and including removal from campus and academic suspension.

Access these important requirements online:

Location of Study

If you would like to change your Fall 2020 location of study, please send an email from your Brown address to fall2020@brown.edu no later than 12 p.m. (EDT) on Monday, August 17. We particularly encourage this option for students with health conditions that may place them in a high-risk category. You will receive a confirmation email when your location of study has been updated.

Billing

Students impacted by room and board changes will receive communication directly from Student Financial Services later this week.

Academic Planning

The pre-registration process will continue as described in the communications you received on July 28. You will find out about your initial course registration this Friday, August 14, and the add/drop period will open next Monday, August 17 and run through September 22. More information on the new pre-registration process can be found on the recently added pre-registration section of the Undergraduate FAQ site, which was developed in collaboration with the UCS Academic Affairs Committee. If a course is in your Primary Cart, you will automatically be able to access the course Canvas site and any electronic course materials posted there.

All students will be able to order books and course materials through the Brown Bookstore website beginning Monday August 24, including options to purchase and rent digital materials for immediate download, as well as to ship physical items to your location. As always, if you have specific questions about your individual circumstances, you can connect with an academic advising dean in the College by emailing college@brown.edu.

Access this important academic planning information online:

Campus Resources

During this period of remote learning, campus resources will continue to be available remotely to all students regardless of their location of study. You can learn more about some of these resources on the Campus Life Fall 2020 Opening webpage and on the College webpage. Note that all students, regardless of their location of study, will be able to access Health Services and Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) via telehealth. All students, regardless of their location of study, are also able to access support from the Administrator on Call and Student Support Services.

Access these support resources online:

Information for Students Living in Residence Halls

The Office of Residential Life will communicate housing assignments to students who apply and receive approval to move on campus before Labor Day. Documented housing accommodations will be met for any students who are approved to return. Returning to campus before Labor Day will invalidate any prior requests for specific neighbors unless they also apply for and receive permission to move in at the end of August. Any students who return before Labor Day should be prepared to be reassigned to a new room when the remaining students return to campus (in late September if the public health situation allows).

Students who receive permission to return to campus before Labor Day and are planning to live in residence halls will be invited to move in on their currently-scheduled dates. You should plan to bring only what is essential. Please be advised that Mail Services will be closed from August 22 to September 15 during the quiet period. Students should not ship items that they will need immediately and should bring these items with them.

Information for Students Living Off Campus

If you are returning to Providence to live in an off-campus residence, you must continue to follow state-mandated 14-day quarantine requirements in place for people entering Rhode Island from outside the United States and from certain states within the country. As a student living off campus, you are responsible for keeping apprised of the state directives specific to your situation and for planning your arrival and quarantine accordingly. This may include completion of a certificate of compliance with out-of-state travel quarantine and testing requirements upon arriving in Rhode Island and completion of an out-of-state travel screening form. Unless you have permission for access to campus, you will not be permitted to come to campus during the “quiet period” for students living on campus or during your own quarantine.

As a reminder, students living off campus are required to provide their local address and telephone number during the academic year. While living in Providence, you will be expected to enroll in Brown’s COVID-19 testing program and get tested twice per week, free of charge. Sign into Banner Self-Service to enter your off-campus address. Please know that the city will more assertively enforce the ordinance related to the occupancy of rental units.

Access this important information for off-campus students online:

Contact Information

We continue to update the Undergraduate FAQs on the Healthy Brown website to address frequently asked questions regarding Brown’s phased approach to the fall term. We know you also may have questions about your individual circumstances. Please contact the following offices:

  • The College regarding academic planning: 401-863-9800 or college@brown.edu
  • Student Financial Services regarding billing and your student account: bursar@brown.edu
  • The Office of Financial Aid regarding financial aid: financial_aid@brown.edu
  • The Office of Residential Life regarding on-campus housing: 401-863-3500 or res_life@brown.edu
  • University Health Services regarding public health questions about COVID-19 testing, the quiet period or quarantine: 401-863-3953
  • Campus Life regarding other questions: 401-863-1800 or campus_life@brown.edu

Whether you will be here in Providence or studying remotely around the world, we hope to see you soon for the start of the fall semester, and we look forward to the time when we can all be together on campus again.

Sincerely,

Eric Estes
Vice President for Campus Life

Rashid Zia
Dean of the College