PROVIDENCE – Roger Williams University in Bristol and Bryant University in Smithfield have made some modifications to their respective COVID-19 masking requirements on campus. However, the vast majority of Rhode Island-based colleges will be staying the course – and masked up – for the time being.
RWU Chief of Staff Brian Williams and Vice President for Student Life John J. King said in a message to the campus community that mask wearing for fully vaccinated students is now optional if they are inside the fitness center on campus as of Feb. 5. This decision came before Gov. Daniel J. McKee’s Feb. 9 announcement that the statewide mask mandate would lift Friday for businesses and public K-12 schools on March 4.
Masks are also optional inside residence halls, but they will still be required in other indoor settings at RWU, both King and Williams said.
Additionally, beginning Friday, RWU’s dining hall will operate at full capacity, King and Williams said, and both commuters and off-campus students will have access to residence halls if they are either fully vaccinated or tested negative for COVID-19.
At Bryant, masks as of Feb. 4 will only be required to be worn inside classrooms, meeting rooms and shared offices where a 6-foot distance cannot be maintained. Both RWU and Bryant cited that the two campuses reported low positivity rates as why they are scaling back some of their mask mandates.
However, students at the University of Rhode Island, Community College of Rhode Island, Rhode Island College, Brown University, the New England Institute of Technology, Salve Regina University, the Rhode Island School of Design and Johnson & Wales University will still have to wear masks indoors on their respective campuses. Those institutions cite the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s current recommendation for universal masking for all students for keeping their mandates in place, but plan to watch certain metrics for any possible changes.
Daniel P. Egan, president of the Association for Independent Colleges and Universities of Rhode Island, reiterated that many colleges implemented their mask mandates before the start of the fall semester, about three months before the state imposed its mandate. But, Egan feels the colleges will watch the CDC’s timing to see if that recommendation changes.
Egan said colleges potentially ceasing mask mandates may not coincide with the state’s timing, but it will “follow pretty closely” if testing and success to limit COVID-19 spread on campuses.
“There is a desire to get rid of them,” Egan said. “There’s some concern from faculty and staff and faculty and others to get rid of them. But, it’s a matter of not automatically doing it [getting rid of the mask mandates] but being thoughtful about the approach.”
Providence College did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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.
