BRISTOL – Roger Williams University will temporarily lay off about 170 dining services and 12 shuttle personnel starting April 4 until the university’s operational needs “and external circumstances allows [the university] to bring them back,” according to a letter to the school community from Roger Williams University President Ioannis N. Miaoulis Monday.
Miaoulis said the decision was made Friday to notify the impacted employees. The decision, Miaoulis said, was based on a “significant fiscal consequence” of RWU’s transition to remote learning and needing to address the “anticipated loss of room and board” due to the campus closing amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
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The university president said affected employees will be paid their regular work schedule through April 4, but are not required to work. RWU will also commit to continuing the employees’ health coverage during the layoff period, Miaoulis said, and the employees are eligible to collect unemployment.
Additionally, RWU is “engaging” with federal and state government officials to hopefully secure “institutional relief from the significant economic impacts that this pandemic has created,” Miaoulis said.
“This is not an easy message to convey to you all, and my heart is with these employees and their families during these challenging times,” Miaoulis said.
Community College of Rhode Island
The Community College of Rhode Island is canceling its 2020 commencement ceremony scheduled for May, CCRI President Meghan Hughes said in an online message Monday to the school community.
CCRI spokesperson Amy Kempe confirmed to PBN that the commencement, scheduled to be held at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, is canceled – not postponed – due to the ongoing concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. Hughes said CCRI, while won’t hold commencement, will “work hard to find a way to celebrate the Class of 2020 at a later date.”
“All of our lives have been upended by COVID-19, and we will all be balancing competing demands for some time to come,” Hughes said. Both Providence College and Salve Regina University have postponed their respective commencement ceremonies
Additionally, CCRI will be extending its remote learning through the rest of the semester, which is scheduled to end May 8, Hughes said. Initially, remote learning at CCRI was planned to run through April 3.
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.
Updated to include information on the Community College of Rhode Island.
