Update on Behalf of RWU President Miaoulis
Dear Students,
As we begin the final days of an unprecedented spring semester, I wish you luck as you refine term papers, prepare capstone course presentations, and get ready for final examinations. I could not be prouder of your collective perseverance, patience, and dedication to your learning. Yet while spring semester is nearing its conclusion, COVID-19 is not. With the public health crisis still underway, we are preparing for a safe fall semester opening in alignment with state guidelines and protocols.
Fall Semester Planning
The most frequent and urgent question before us is whether RWU will reopen in the fall and what that will look like. I want to convey that all of our energy right now is focused on “how” we will reopen rather than “if.” We are fully committed to reopening Roger Williams for the Fall 2020 semester.
Many working groups have started meeting to research and consider fall semester scenarios that will give you strong learning options while assuring your safety, well-being and peace of mind. We need to think about all aspects of the Roger Williams experience with the pandemic and contingencies in mind. Everything from the classroom experience, dining services, residence halls, events and activities are being reviewed along with the necessary quarantine and isolation protocols. We are coordinating with the Rhode Island Department of Health and with other Rhode Island colleges and universities to ensure a safe, collaborative approach to our public health practices to reopen this fall.
It is our intent to finalize our academic and campus plans for the fall semester in June and communicate to students by early July, giving you ample time to prepare for the return to campus.
Healthy and Safe Reopening
Governor Raimondo this past week called for us to imagine Reopening RI, which is focused on the phased reopening of the state and its economy. Similarly, RWU must be focused on a phased reopening. In the spirit of coordinating our efforts with the state, we have launched our efforts under the name of Reopening Roger. Led by Vice President John King, this working group, with faculty, staff and student participation will consider policies that will prepare us for how we live, learn, work, and engage with each other as a community. Our plans must address our residential halls, the dining experience, classroom delivery with social distancing, new protocols for health, wellness, group events, and many other details of our campus operations. The Rhode Island Department of Health has convened regular meetings with all institutions of higher education in the state and they have asked to receive our preliminary draft plans by June 15 to offer guidance to us.
Testing and Containment Measures
Roger Williams is fortunate to be in a geographic region where the number of COVID-19 cases have been fairly contained. Additionally, testing has been more available with CVS national headquarters providing leadership to our community, medical facilities and testing availability. A safe campus opening feels hopeful for RWU. However, RWU is also actively exploring its own options for testing and containment measures. We must explore all options possible so that we can isolate any positive cases that arise early, ensuring we will not need to close the entire campus. We are convening groups, led by our faculty and staff expertise, on how we can leverage our facilities, our people, and technology to provide necessary COVID-19 testing, contact tracing, and containment measures.
Remote Instruction
You and your professors did an incredible job making an emergency shift to online learning this spring. With the entire summer ahead of us, we will be improving these delivery methods. Many faculty are already planning to use the next few months to strengthen online instruction and participate in various faculty development sessions. The university will also look for areas of investment in our technology infrastructure to ensure a better experience for the fall semester when remote learning options will need to be available.
New Academic Models
While much energy is focused on the reopening of campus and the residential, academic experience, we are also using this planning time to imagine new academic pathways and opportunities that meet your learning needs and preferences. We recognize that, for a variety of reasons, you or other students may not be able to return to campuses in the fall. We are exploring ways to provide you with options, beyond online learning, that can allow you to stay remote and continue your RWU studies in new and different ways. We hope to share these options with you in early June.
This time of year, a common sentiment on college campuses across the country is “See you next fall!” This year more than ever, it is not just a passing remark. Rather it is our collective intent and hope for a return to campus and being together again.
See you next fall!
Yannis