PORTSMOUTH – Roger Williams University will discontinue using the Baypoint building in town as an option for student housing at the end of this spring semester.
John J. King, the university’s vice president for student life, said in a recent email to the campus community that multiple factors and benefits went into RWU’s decision to cease using Baypoint to house students. He said the university is shifting its housing program that more aligns with its master plan goals to house all undergraduates on RWU’s main campus in Bristol.
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Shuttle service no longer dealing with traffic on the Mount Hope Bridge due to renovation delays also factored into RWU’s decision to not house students at Baypoint after this spring, King said. The change will allow the university to expand shuttle services within Bristol, as well as reduce RWU’s energy costs at Baypoint.
There will also be no employee reductions as a result of not using Baypoint to house students, King said. Baypoint will still operate to offer and hold office space for the university’s School of Justice Studies’ Justice System Training and Research Institute.
Students who planned to live at Baypoint will either be housed at residential communities on the university’s Bristol campus or at the off-campus Almeida Residential Community, King said. Housing process information can be found on the university’s website.
“While we know that Baypoint Residential Community has been a special place to many of our residential students, we believe that this move will provide a better and more connected experience for our sophomore students going forward,” King said.
RWU’s board of trustees’ buildings and grounds committee has started exploring alternate uses and future development options for the Baypoint facility, King said.
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.
