More local colleges moving classes online due to virus concerns

Updated at 4:24 p.m.

BROWN UNIVERSITY, pictured, Providence College, Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island College and the Community College of Rhode Island are moving curricula to online in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY
BROWN UNIVERSITY, pictured, Providence College, Rhode Island School of Design, Rhode Island College, the Community College of Rhode Island and Stonehill College are moving curricula to online in the wake of the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak. / COURTESY BROWN UNIVERSITY

PROVIDENCE – Local colleges are continuing to adjust programming and protocols in order to limit the spread of COVID-19, and following leads of other institutions that have already made similar adjustments.

Brown University, Providence College, Rhode Island College, Rhode Island School of Design and the Community College of Rhode Island will move all academic instruction to online later this month.

Brown University

Brown University President Christina H. Paxson said Thursday in a letter to the community that the Ivy League university will start online instruction March 30, the after the university’s scheduled spring recess. Additionally, undergraduate students living on campus or Brown-owned properties must vacate their residences by March 22 at 5 p.m. Students who need to petition for special residence exemptions are urged to email reslife@brown.edu by no later than March 18.

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Classes at Brown the week of March 16 will be canceled to allow faculty to transition curricula to online and give students opportunity to pack and arrange travel plans, Paxson said. Most of the Warren Alpert Medical School students will not be affected by the changes, she said.

Rhode Island School of Design

RISD President Rosanne Somerson said Thursday in an online letter that classes will be taught remotely for the rest of the semester starting March 30 – the day when students return from spring break – and March 20 will be the last day for in-person instruction.

Residence halls at the arts college will close for the rest of the semester effective March 22 at noon, Somerson said, and students who cannot return to their permanent residences will be assisted by RISD with that process.

RISD is also canceling all events that will draw more than 100 people, and is urging organizers to either cancel, reschedule or move the events online, Somerson said.

The decisions by Brown and RISD asking students to leave and stay away from campus mirrors similar initiatives recently implemented by other local colleges.

Rhode Island College

Rhode Island College said Wednesday it will conduct online classes starting March 23 until further notice. The college will canceling classes March 16 through March 20 to allow faculty to transition to remote-course delivery.

While residence halls and the on-campus dining will remain open and students may remain on campus, RIC said students are expected to continue and complete coursework off-campus “following faculty guidance for completion.”

Student events scheduled at RIC between March 11 through March 23 are suspended, the college said, and on-campus events scheduled between March 11 and April 7 that are slated to bring in more than 100 people are either postponed or canceled.

Providence College

PC said it is suspending all in-person classes from March 16 through April 13 as a “precautionary measure” regarding the coronavirus pandemic. PC will start its online curricula March 18 when students return from spring break.

PC plans to resume in-person instruction on April 14, the college said, but those plans may change “depending on the severity and extent” of the outbreak. PC is also in process of postponing or canceling all on-campus events that will attract 100 or more people.

Community College of Rhode Island

CCRI’s remote instruction will commence March 23 through “at least” April 3, the college said, and spring break for students has been extended to March 22.

Stonehill College

Stonehill will shift to remote learning from March 18 through March 27. The college has also extended spring break through March 17.  Residences will tentatively reopen on March 29. Students will be allowed to return to campus to retrieve belongings, if necessary from March 15 through March 17. Students that need to remain on campus due to extenuating circumstances will be allowed to stay and have access to revised dining hall options. Those staying must be approved by the college.

All campus-wide events have been canceled through March 27. All non-essential international and domestic travel has been suspended by the college – which also discouraged personal international travel.

Johnson & Wales University

Johnson & Wales University said Thursday it will move all non-culinary classes to online instruction beginning March 16 through April 12.

Culinary and equine labs are canceled for two weeks through March 29, the university said, and classes at JWU’s Providence campus were canceled “as a precautionary measure” as a response to an “individual” who experienced flu-like symptoms and subsequently tested negative for the coronavirus.

JWU said campuses and all residence halls will remain open during this period, however students may choose to return home if they wish.

Salve Regina University

Salve Regina University said late Thursday it will extend its spring break through March 27 and start transitioning to online curricula on March 30 through April 13. Students are asked to not return to campus during this period “unless otherwise notified.”

Salve is also extending its academic year by one week, however commencement dates will remain the same.

(Added information on Johnson & Wales University and Salve Regina University.)

James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.

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