Happy Halloween; Fall move-out information

bryant.edu/reopening Friday, Oct. 30, 2020 Over the past week, COVID-19 cases in RI, across the country and around the world have continued to escalate. Although we had positive cases at Bryant this week and our 7-day rolling average is above 0.1%, we are still at 0.07% overall and our chains of transmissions are limited and well controlled. During these last weeks of the semester, members of the Bryant community must be extra attentive to best practices for COVID prevention- including as masking, social distancing, avoiding unprotected gatherings and limiting trips off-campus. COVID cases are rising at concerning rates outside our campus. The entire community must take great care to avoid bringing the virus in and jeopardizing our community. We want to finish the semester strong and send everyone home ready to enjoy a safe Thanksgiving holiday. For all members of the community who travel off campus and/or may have concerns about the safety of voting, to help keep our community healthy we have made provisions for additional COVID-19 surveillance testing in the campus MAC clinic next week. Stay Safe this Halloween Halloween is a fun tradition, but don’t let your guard down regarding COVID at a time when cases are climbing. Stay vigilant and make smart choices to follow proper public health measures. For students on campus, Student Affairs has planned a Monster Mash, Bryant Bash for Saturday, Oct. 31, 8 p.m. - 11 p.m. Events are planned at multiple locations across campus including the Fisher Student Center, Bello, Chace MAC, Art Barn, Newport Circle, & @Bryant CSLI on Instagram. Highlights include food trucks all around campus, a visiting escape room, silent dance parties and DJs, a glowing pick your own pumpkin patch, giant board games, a spooky yellow brick road, lawn game tournaments and much more. DOWNLOAD THE HEALTH CHECKER APP Remote Classes for Election Day, Post-Election Resources So that students who have not arranged for absentee or mail-in ballots and vote within the distance of a round-trip drive in a single day will be able to vote more easily, and after careful consideration of academic and public health concerns, given the importance of students’ ability to cast their votes we have requested that to the extent possible all faculty conduct all classes virtually Nov. 3. We ask students to limit their time off campus as much as possible, beyond direct travel to their polling locations, and to maintain awareness for social distance, masking and the good judgement they have used all semester. We thank the Student Government for bringing its concern to our attention and hope that this adjustment supports student voting in a safe way. Following the election, there are a number of excellent resources available for Bryant students, staff and faculty, ranging from the ongoing Talking about Politics: Election 2020 Zoom discussion series offered by our History and Social Science Department to post-election Town Hall and individual sessions available at Bryant’s Interfaith Center next Wednesday and Thursday. President Gittell’s Community Forum Last week President Ross Gittell, Ph.D., hosted his first Bryant Community Forum for students, faculty and staff. If you missed the Zoom presentation and discussion, you can watch the video. Inaugural Day of Understanding Sponsored by the Bryant’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion office in collaboration with partners across the University, Bryant's first Day of Understanding on Oct. 29 included a wide variety of opportunities for members of the Bryant community to listen and learn from panelists, speakers and each other. If you were not able to attend the sessions, look for videos to be shared next week. Fall Residence Hall Closing Information To assist students and families in planning for the end of the fall semester, here is what to expect: Resident students will receive an email from Residential Life with specific closing information during the second week in November. Resident Assistants will hold virtual Zoom floor/building meetings the week of Nov. 8-14 to review closing information, answer questions and have students designate their planned departure date. All students must vacate their residence hall no later than 24 hours after their last final exam and no later than 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 24. Only students who reside in the Holiday Inn Express and Suites will need to move-out completely. All students living on campus may keep belongings in their room over the winter break but will not be able to access their room over the break. We encourage students to bring any items they may need over the break home. Items that are frequently forgotten include text books, laptops, medications, passports/IDs and eyeglasses/contact lenses. Students are permitted to have two family members assist with their move-out. Family members should complete the Health Checker App to enter campus and must wear a mask and practice social distancing while on campus and in the residence halls. To avoid density, families are expected to adhere to a three-hour timeframe from their arrival to completion of the move-out process. In January, students will receive details regarding scheduling their move-in appointment for the Spring 2021 semester. As currently planned, students will select a move-in date from Saturday, Feb. 6, Sunday, Feb. 7, or Monday, Feb. 8. All students will have a three-hour time frame to move-in and can bring two family members to assist. For Bryant reopening questions, please email reopening@bryant.edu

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