PROVIDENCE — A bevy of Brown University leaders tried to assure their neighbors that the university is taking every step possible to keep both students and the larger community safe during the coronavirus crisis.
During an hour-long Zoom meeting, Brown provided fresh details on everything from testing to student education on a new set of health and safety protocols.
Asked why Brown was reopening when so many colleges have elected to remain remote, Brown officials said the university believes in the importance of a residential, in-person experience. There are also students who may not have access to technology, while other students are in fields that can only be done in person, such as the lab sciences.
Brown will stagger its opening, with various students returning over three semesters instead of two. That will allow the campus to host a greatly reduced number of students at any one time.
Neighbors will also be able to make complaints about off-campus behavior by calling an anonymous hotline (877-318-9184) or filling out an incident report. And neighbors can always call the campus police, who will be deploying teams of officers to patrol nearby neighborhoods.
A robust testing program is at the heart of the university’s COVID-19 health and safety plans.
Students will be tested upon arrival to campus. They will then be tested twice a week. Results will be returned in 24 hours or less, and Brown has hired the Broad Institute in Cambridge to process those tests.
When students arrive starting Aug. 31, they will be asked to engage in a two-week “quiet period” to minimize their contact with others.
Brown leaders said there have been “less than five” people on campus testing positive this summer.
Asymptomatic students will self-administer a nasal swab under the supervision of a health professional. Students who have symptoms are asked to immediately contact health services. If they test positive, they will quarantine in housing set aside for that purpose.
Exposed students will also be asked to isolate themselves
“The vast majority of students will work with us,” said Eric Estes, vice president of campus life. “You have to affirm good choices and address bad choices. This is an entire community effort.”
Campus leaders said that all returning students, on campus and off, will be required to sign a code of conduct that commits them to 12 behaviors, from mask-wearing to social distancing. The penalties for failing to abide by these rules include academic probation and removal from campus.
Brown will also ask students to confine most of their social interactions to small groups of the same students, much like Gov. Gina Raimondo has asked the public to do..
More than 60 staff have volunteered to be “healthy ambassadors,” helping students navigate public spaces, encouraging them to wear masks, and reminding them to remain six feet apart.
What if students say they are studying remotely but live in Providence? Zoom participants were told that would be a violation of the code of conduct.
What would make Brown decide to return to remote learning?
“We’re looking at a number of metrics,” said Russell Carey, executive vice president of planning and policy. The university will track positivity rates on campus and in Rhode Island, the utilization of quarantine spaces, and supplies of personal protective equipment, among other measures.