The University will suspend classes and offer a paid day off for faculty and staff on federal Election Days going forward and beginning this Nov. 3, making it the second Ivy League institution to do so.

The Herald spoke with five students, spread across three continents and in four class years, about a first week back to school like no other.

Brown will welcome back more undergraduates to its residence halls and hold some in-person classes this fall, President Christina Paxson P’19 wrote in an email to the Brown community Thursday, Sept. 10. 

At the first faculty meeting of the 2020-21 academic year, President Christina Paxson P’19 updated faculty members on the possibility of welcoming more students back to Providence and back into classrooms amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. 

When Cici Osias ’23 opened Courses@Brown on Aug. 16, she was confused and worried. She found that she hadn’t been registered for any of the courses in her primary cart, despite the fact that some of the capped courses she had selected were still listing available seats. 

When President Christina Paxson P’19 announced Aug. 11 that all undergraduate classes would be taught fully online until at least Oct. 5, faculty members, like students, were tasked with reimagining what the fall semester would look like. 

The University Corporation has designated $8.1 million to fulfill its 2007 commitment to establish a $10 million endowment to support the Providence Public School District, President Christina Paxson P’19 wrote in a press announcement and community-wide email Wednesday. 

President Christina Paxson P’19 discussed the recent federal actions and national issues, reaffirming the University’s support for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, Black Lives Matter movement and LGBTQ+ rights during Tuesday’s special faculty meeting.

At Tuesday’s special faculty meeting, attendees passed a motion to create the Procedural Integrity Committee, which will take over responsibilities regarding denials of promotion, tenure and reappointment from the Committee on Faculty Equity and Diversity.

The University is currently “planning intensely” in order to be prepared to implement the three-semester calendar for the coming academic year in light of the coronavirus pandemic, regardless of whether these fall, spring or summer semesters are held in person or online.