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University News

Brown considers adjustments for fall semester as asymptomatic, symptomatic COVID-19 testing rates remain low

By Gabriella Vulakh | July 26

The University continues to watch public health conditions while preparing for changes leading up to the fall semester, including further reopening of campus dining halls. The Blue Room opened for student in-person dining July 23 to give students more flexibility and options on campus, according to ...

University News

A timeline of COVID-19 vaccination and re-opening plans on College Hill

By Jack Walker | July 22

Recent months for the University and Providence at large — entailing vaccine distribution, uncertain public health guidelines and a gradual re-opening of in-person activity — have proven to be a time of change, documented in an outpouring of new COVID-19 policies and plans. As College Hill approaches ...

Metro

Brown purchases River House to turn into graduate student housing

By Gaya Gupta | July 22

The University has purchased River House, a 174-unit residential building located in the Jewelry District, with plans to turn the complex into housing for Brown graduate and medical students. The University formed and executed the purchase of River House through a wholly owned subsidiary, River House ...

Metro

BAI, Providence Student Union unveil youth-created billboard series highlighting Student Bill of Rights

By Jack Walker | July 21

The Brown Arts Initiative, the Providence Student Union and a group of local artists unveiled a series of three billboards on May 28 along local roadways that highlight an ongoing campaign “to secure a safe, healthy and engaging school environment for all students” through a national Student Bill ...

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University News

Brown names Rodney Chatman as vice president for campus safety

By Jack Walker | July 20

Rodney Chatman will assume an “expanded and newly elevated position” of vice president for campus safety effective Sept. 1, according to a July 20 news release from the University. Chatman’s hiring marks the completion of a national search conducted throughout the spring 2021 semester following ...

University News

R.I. Supreme Court rules in favor of Brown in sexual assault lawsuit

By Noble Brigham | July 20

The Supreme Court of Rhode Island affirmed the dismissal of Title IX lawsuit Jane Doe v. Brown in an opinion filed June 28, ending an eight-year investigatory and legal process. The case involved what Doe and her attorneys characterized as the University’s mishandling of the investigation after her ...

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Science & Research

FDA approval of new Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm, developed in part by Brown researchers, mired in controversy

By Kathleen Meininger | July 20

The Food and Drug Administration approved a new drug Aduhelm for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease June 7 through its accelerated approval pathway. While some patient advocacy groups and creators of the drug — including several University researchers — see the drug’s approval as a step forward, ...

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Metro

'Living in fear': local Haitian communities rocked by president’s assassination, civil unrest

By Liza Mullett | July 19

There are nearly 1600 miles between Providence and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. But the small yet closely connected Haitian community in the Ocean State still felt shockwaves of the July 7 assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moïse and the civil unrest that has followed. The details and rationale ...

Metro

University rejects community stakeholders’ proposed changes to Brook Street dorm

By Sameer Sinha | July 19

The University recently rejected a set of four requests regarding the planned dorm on Brook Street made by various community groups and stakeholders. A letter to University leaders and an accompanying petition asked for a reduction in height, preservation of historical buildings, preservation of retail ...

University News

Dean Jha named one of World’s 50 Greatest Leaders

By Benjamin Pollard | July 18

While an undergraduate at Columbia studying economics — long before he would be named one of the World’s 50 Greatest Leaders by Fortune Magazine — Ashish Jha, dean of the School of Public Health, was a pre-med student in part because his parents “really wanted” him to go to medical school. ...

Science & Research

Brown lifts restrictions on library seating, University-sponsored travel, will reduce quarantine housing, limitations on visitors

By Gabriella Vulakh | July 18

The University has further lifted restrictions on density requirements on campus and on international travel and will make additional changes in housing capacity and campus visitor policy by the fall semester, as the number of community members testing positive for COVID-19 each week remains at a minimum. There ...

Science & Research

Brown researchers find political partisanship greatest predictive factor of COVID-19 safe behaviors

By Jared Zhang | July 16

Neither perceived risk nor actual risk of COVID-19 infection predict rates of mask wearing and social distancing, according to a study published by researchers from the University’s Cognitive, Linguistic and Psychological Sciences department in June. Instead, the study found that political partisanship, ...

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University News

U. loosens restrictions on University-sponsored international travel

By Jack Walker | July 15

Beginning Thursday, the University has returned to its high-risk and restricted policies for University-sponsored travel, according to a July 15 Today@Brown announcement from Christine Sprovieri, director of international travel risk management. The transition marks a loosening of restrictions on University-sponsored ...

Metro

College Hill historic district expansion passes despite prior University objections

By Katy Pickens | July 14

A long-debated expansion to the historic district on College Hill, which includes three buildings owned by the University, was passed unanimously by the Providence City Council June 3. The University had initially opposed the historic overlay because the Brown-owned properties included in the district ...

University News

Sharpe Refectory reopens for in-person dining after more than a year of take-out only

By Livia Gimenes | July 12

The clock struck 12 noon Monday and in the Sharpe Refectory, for the first time in over a year, a familiar scene appeared. Students rushed in with raincoats and backpacks wet after the journey from their dorm or previous class. The square eight-person tables became almost fully populated with groups ...

University News

‘Testament to the community’: VP Carey discusses changes after campus students, faculty surpass 90 percent vaccination levels

By Gabriella Vulakh | July 11

The University will begin returning to pre-pandemic campus life after on-campus students and faculty exceeded 90 percent vaccination levels, resuming in-person dining at the Sharpe Refectory and closing access to COVID-19 testing sites for vaccinated individuals this week. As of July 7, 95.9 percent ...

University News

Admission office plans to return to pre-pandemic tour, travel policy

By Will Kubzansky | July 11

The University’s Office of Admission will resume in-person campus tours and some high school visits this fall, according to Dean of Admission Logan Powell and an email to the student body from Executive Vice President for Planning and Policy Russell Carey ’91 MA’06 last month. Public health guidance, ...

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University News

Brown to distribute $6.29 million in federal student aid

By Caelyn Pender | July 8

The University will distribute $6.29 million in federal COVID-19 relief funds to students by the end of this month, according to a July 7 letter from Provost Richard Locke P’18 shared in Today@Brown. Eligible first-year students will receive funding after their arrival at Brown in September. This ...

Metro

Family-run restaurant Abu Yarub Al-Shami will bring Syrian flavors to College Hill

By Katy Pickens | July 8

When Amir Tatari moved to the United States from Syria in the late 1980s, his first job was working at a Dunkin’ Donuts on Thayer Street. Now, over 30 years later, he is set to open the restaurant Abu Yarub Al-Shami on the very same street. Tatari expects to host a “soft open” for the restaurant ...

Science & Research

Brown neuroscience lab devises novel guidelines to measure, study negative effects of mindfulness-based meditation

By Kathleen Meininger | July 8

Though mindfulness programs offer promising treatment paths for many, tools for researchers to examine their potential pitfalls have remained underdeveloped, according to Willoughby Britton, director of the University’s Clinical and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory. In order to better understand ...