Updated 5:35 p.m., March 20, 2020
The University is shifting to remote learning, with all course instruction taking place online for the remainder of the semester, beginning March 30. Many students have evacuated campus and the University community now spans multiple continents. But for those remaining on campus, The Herald has compiled information and news updates regarding some of the modified rules and resources available for the rest of the semester.
Emergency services continue to be available anytime. The Administrator On Call system also remains in place to connect students with appropriate resources and referrals 24/7 during emergency situations.
Please note that this information is subject to change in light of COVID-19 developments. Check back for updates.
Food and Dining Services
As of yesterday, dining services are available only in the Sharpe Refectory on a “take-out” basis. Currently, meal hours are as follows: breakfast 7 a.m. to 9 a.m.; lunch 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; and dinner 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Additional information and updates will be posted on the Dining Services website.
The Bear Market Food Exchange, which can be found on the fourth floor of Page-Robinson Hall across from Room 411, is open and accepting donations. “All community members are welcome to contribute non-perishable food to our shelves, and to take anything on the shelves if you are struggling to get enough to eat,” according to a March 16 Today@Brown announcement.
Health Services
Health Services will no longer be accepting walk-in visits at the health center, effective Thursday, March 18. Limited on-site visits will be provided by appointment only.
Nursing advice continues to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Call (401) 863-1330 (Fonemed) for assistance.
“Over the coming days, we will be transitioning to the use of telehealth,” according to a Today@Brown announcement this morning from Lynn Dupont, associate director of Health Services. The transition is expected to be complete by March 23.
“Health care providers will continue to be available to speak with patients about their health concerns, and if necessary, arrange a scheduled appointment on site or via telehealth communications,” according to the announcement. Students can communicate directly with their Health Services provider or with the nursing staff through their Brown Health portal.
Counseling and Psychological Services
Services remain available Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m, though all contact with CAPS providers has moved to phone and email.
“We continue to remain fully committed to our community and will be here for you, regardless of what is happening with COVID-19, and that will not change,” read an update posted on the CAPS website Wednesday morning.
For more detailed information regarding services available for current CAPS clients, whether they remain on campus or have moved elsewhere, and for community members new to their services, please visit the CAPS website.
BWell Health Promotion
BWell remains in operation and available to all students — both on- and off-campus. BWell Health Educators and BWell SHARE Advocates will continue all appointments remotely. For more information about how to schedule an appointment, please visit the BWell website.
The confidential Sexual Assault Response Line remains operational, providing sexual and relationship violence crisis services by phone 24/7. If you are a student with an urgent need related to sexual and relationship violence, call (401) 863-6000.
Student and Employee Accessibility Services
SEAS remains on hand to assist community members via email, phone and video conferencing. Hours are Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (EST).
Brown Emergency Medical Services
Brown EMS remains open. “We continue to offer EMS 24/7,” Amy Sanderson, director of Brown EMS, wrote in an email to The Herald. “Our ambulance is in service.”
Mail Services
Effective March 18, Mail Services will be operating Monday through Friday with limited hours of 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. until further notice.
Office of International Student and Scholar Services
OISSS will begin working with students remotely, effective March 18. Appointments can be scheduled and rescheduled through methods outlined on their website, and can be conducted by phone, Zoom or email.
Global Brown Center for International Students
The GBC office and lounge are closed but the GBC staff will continue to remotely support students — both those remaining on campus and those who have departed. Communication is available via email and Zoom, as well as by phone Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). Please visit the GBC website for more details and contact information.
Undocumented, First-Generation College and Low-Income Student Center
Center staff remain available to offer support, advising and guidance to U-FLi students remotely. Students can reach out directly to Program Director Julio Reyes ’12 at Julio_Reyes@brown.edu and Student Success Program Coordinator Renata Mauriz ’17 at Renata_Mauriz@brown.edu to set up an appointment. Please visit the U-FLi Center website for more details and contact information.
LGBTQ Center
The LGBTQ Center staff remain available to offer support, advising and guidance remotely, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). Students can reach out directly to Director Kelly Garrett at Kelly_Garrett@brown.edu and Assistant Director Caitlin O'Neill at Caitlin_oneill@brown.edu to set up an appointment. Please visit the LGBTQ Center website for more details and contact information.
Brown Center for Students of Color
Staff at the BCSC remain available to offer support, advising and guidance remotely to all students of color at the University, Monday to Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (EST). BCSC’s message of care and support can be found here. Please visit the BCSC website for more details and contact information.
The Sarah Doyle Center for Women and Gender
Gail Cohee, director of the Sarah Doyle Center and associate dean of the College, and Felicia Salinas-Moniz MA’06 PhD’13, senior assistant director of the Sarah Doyle Center, remain available to provide support and guidance remotely by email or by video meeting. Students can reach out via email at Gail_Cohee@brown.edu and Felicia_Salinas@brown.edu. Please visit the Sarah Doyle Center website for more details and contact information.
Libraries
University library buildings are currently closed, though some services are being offered virtually. Library patrons with items currently checked out should keep these items until the libraries reopen, and fines and late fees will be waived. Requests and questions concerning the John Hay Library and Special Collections should be sent to hay@brown.edu. All other library-related inquiries should be directed to rock@brown.edu.
Deliveries of physical materials to campus from the off-site Library Collections Annex storage facility will not be taking place at this time. But staff are offering scans of up to 50 pages that will be delivered to University community members via email. For more information, please visit the Library News website.
Computing and Information Services
CIS continues to offer technological support, including “help with remote teaching, learning and working,” to University community members, according to a March 17 Today@Brown announcement. Contact the IT Service Center with further questions.
Transportation
The Transportation and Parking Services Office will be closed until further notice, effective March 18. Shuttle services — daytime express and connector, evening fixed route, Brown onCall and the accessibility shuttle service through Student and Employee Accessibility Services — are currently running their normal schedule, Elizabeth Gentry, assistant vice president of business and financial services, wrote in an email to The Herald.
“We are monitoring ridership on a daily basis and expect there may be some reduction in service in the coming days,” Gentry added. Schedule updates will be posted on the office’s website. “Changes will also be announced in Today@Brown.”
Brown Card Office
Effective March 18, the Brown Card Office will be closed. Students needing to replace a lost ID should contact the Department of Public Safety located at 75 Charlesfield St. and at the number (401) 863-3322, according to a March 18 Today@Brown announcement. A temporary dorm access card will be provided upon positive proof of identification and a new replacement ID card will be ready for pick up at the DPS office in 48 hours. Further questions can be directed to brown-card-office@brown.edu.
Returning dorm keys
Residential keys that were not returned to the Office of Residential Life key office before students’ departure should be mailed in a padded envelope to the following address: Brown University, Office of Residential Life, Attn: Key Office, P.O. Box 1864, Providence, RI 02912. Keys should arrive at ResLife by Monday, March 23 at 5 p.m., according to an email sent by ResLife. For more information, reach out to the Residential Life Key Office at (401) 863-3502.
Events
The University has canceled “all but the most essential events.” According to a March 12 email from President Christina Paxson P’19, all student-organized events on or off-campus must be canceled, irrespective of the number of attendees. The policy announced earlier this month banned University-associated events expected to draw 100 or more attendees, The Herald previously reported.
In alignment with a decision announced by the Ivy League March 11, all Brown spring athletics competitions and practices are canceled, The Herald previously reported.
“All non-essential visitors are discouraged from coming to campus through April 13, at which point this guidance will be re-evaluated,” according to a March 12 University update. Parents and families are considered essential visitors during the process of helping students move off campus.
Fitness Centers
The Jonathan Nelson ’77 Fitness Center and associated facilities — including the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center, Katherine Moran Coleman Aquatics Center and Pizzitola Tennis and Squash Courts — will be closed until further notice.
Brown Bookstore
From March 18 to March 20, the Brown Bookstore will operate on limited hours from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a March 18 Today@Brown announcement. Full closure will take effect at the end of business on Friday, March 20.
“Inventory that was scheduled for the following week will be indefinitely postponed,” the announcement continued. “Essential staff will continue to address the incoming shipments and distribution of primarily technology hardware needed by faculty and students in collaboration with (Computing and Information Services). Emergency contacts will be in place for assistance beyond Friday. The online store will continue to operate for the time being.”
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