Friday, March 13, 2020

Page 1

SINCE 1891

THE BROWN DAILY HERALD FRIDAY, MARCH 13, 2020

VOLUME CLV, ISSUE 36

BROWNDAILYHERALD.COM

UNIVERSITY SUSPENDS CLASSES

Dorms set to close to most students, classes to move online due to COVID-19 concerns

BILAL ISMAIL AHMED / HERALD

Making the decision The University’s move to remote learning follows its suspension of all

non-essential University-sponsored travel and admissions events, as well as the restriction of attendance at athletic events. It also follows Gov. Gina Raimondo’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rhode Island, The Herald previously reported. This announcement follows similar decisions by several peer institutions across the country, including the rest of the Ivy League. These changes have been under discussion by the University’s Core Crisis Team for several weeks, University spokesperson Brian Clark told The Herald. “It’s been an evolving conversation, and that’s very much guided by what we are learning from conversations that happened with public health officials,” he said. “The process to make decisions is led by the Core Crisis Team, and decisions are ultimately made by the University and senior leaders.” Clark added that the members of the Core Crisis Team “have very extensive and deep connections to student concerns,” and that many of the individuals on this committee interact with students on a daily or hourly basis. He said the team considered input from students and from various offices including the Division of Campus Life, academic ad-

visers and the Dean of the College office. “That input is a part of the equation and is informing the way that everybody on the Core Crisis Team is thinking about the implications for members of our community,” Clark said. “That’s not the only consideration. First and foremost here is the safety and health and well-being of the broad Brown community and folks whom we interact with beyond our campus.” These measures align with broader efforts by governments and institutions worldwide to mitigate the COVID-19 outbreak, which has not been successfully contained and poses serious threats to public health both locally and globally. “Fortunately, the COVID-19 mortality rate for young adults appears to be quite low,” Paxson wrote. “However, there are Brown students and employees who, due to age or underlying health conditions, may be at significant risk if they contract the virus. We must take steps to protect them, as well as other vulnerable members of the local community who interact with Brown students on a regular basis.” The University will remain open for the duration of the semester, and academic and administrative offices will continue to operate, Paxson wrote. “The

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BY KAYLA GUO, MAIA ROSENFELD AND EMILY TENG SECTION EDITORS

All University courses will be canceled starting Monday and will resume online following a two-week break in response to the increasing risk posed by the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Undergraduate students living on campus and in University-owned properties have been asked to leave campus by March 22 and remain away from campus for the rest of the semester, according to a community-wide email sent from President Christina Paxson P’19 Thursday morning. Students with certain circumstances will be allowed to petition to stay on campus. Remote learning will begin March 30 and will remain in place for the rest of the semester, according to the email. The shift will take place after a two-week break allowing students and faculty to transition to online learning.

various offices that support students are making plans to offer their services remotely,” she added. The Rhode Island School of Design also announced Thursday that it will require students to vacate residence halls by March 22, but it will continue to hold in-person classes until March 20 before transitioning to remote learning March 30, according to an email sent to RISD students. “This is a unique moment,” Clark said. “It’s a public health emergency across the globe. So that is the driving force behind our decisions … finding the right ways to enable our teaching and learning and research and scholarship to continue to the greatest extent possible, is our second priority.” Moving off campus Students “whose circumstances would prevent them from leaving campus due to international travel restrictions or other extraordinary circumstances” may petition for an exception from moving off campus, Paxson wrote. These include international students who may be unable to return to campus later due to visa issues, international students with concerns about the “difficulty returning to their home country

due to the prevalence of COVID-19,” students without an alternate place to go and students who would encounter “severe financial hardship” by leaving. While it is unclear whether there is a specific limit on the number of students who will be able to remain on campus, the Office of Residential Life “will absolutely consider every petition that comes in through that process,” Clark said. He added that decisions will be made based on the individual circumstances of each student. Students who do remain on campus are unlikely to stay where they are currently living, Clark noted. Although he does not know which facilities will be used to house these students, “members are likely to be asked to move based on what the final numbers look like and what the right approaches from the standpoint of community health (are) for those that remain on campus,” Clark said. Students granted exceptions are required to remain on campus through spring break, but “should fully pack their belongings for reassignment to a new residence” after March 22, according to Paxson’s email. Exceptions will be

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