On August 1, the University launched the Office of Student Recovery and Care — housed in the Division of Campus Life — to provide a resource for students who self-identify as being most directly affected by the events of the Dec. 13 shooting.
The initiative, led by the Integrated Student Support and Recovery Team, the Student Support Services team, the interim SSS deans and University partners, is part of Brown’s Ever True Roadmap to Recovery.
The office’s creation was “informed by public health principles” and “reflects practices used by peer institutions following mass shootings,” according to a July 28 Today@Brown message.
Vice President for Campus Life Patricia Poitevien ’94 MD’98 wrote in an email to The Herald that she helped guide its creation “with a clear understanding of how important sustained, personalized care” can be for recovery.
“The Office of Student Recovery and Care meets one specific and important need within that broader web of care,” Poitevien wrote.
The office supports students in several ways, including coordinating assistance for leaves of absence, addressing safety concerns and connecting students to other University services.
The OSRC will be led by Associate Dean and Director Brian Woods and Assistant Dean Madyson Crawford.
The two “will work directly with students to understand what they need and help them navigate academic, health, financial and residential matters, and other questions that may arise,” Woods wrote in an email to The Herald.
Woods previously served as an interim dean for SSS following the Dec. 13 shooting.
He wrote that the OSRC will extend the work of these interim deans. It will remain active through the 2028-29 school year “with its scope and staffing reviewed as student needs evolve.”
“There is no ‘right’ way to recover or a set timeline,” Woods added.
The office’s focus on a particular set of students will allow the two deans to “remain closely connected with them over time, anticipate emerging needs and help navigate complex situations that often require coordinated action across the University,” Woods wrote.
Chris Barney ’29 said that the office was “a really good idea” and something the University “should have done a while ago.”
“I think that they were very receptive to the feedback… from students and families,” he added.
Barney said that although he believes the OSRC is a “step in the right direction,” he hopes the University will host more community events.
Alejandro Ruiz is a university news senior staff writer covering academics and advising. He is a junior from Edison, NJ studying biochemistry and philosophy. In his free time, he can be found with his friends or with an AirPod in.
