Dear Students,

We hope you are well as you prepare for the reading period and finals week. This email includes detailed information about the Fall closing of the residence halls, which is essential for you to know before departing.

The residence halls will close at 12 noon on Thursday, December 22, after the conclusion of the final exam period. Swipe access to the residence halls will be turned off at this time for all students except those granted extended housing by the Office of Residential Life. If you have been approved for extended housing, please check your approval email for full details.

Our records indicate that you will continue to live on-campus in the Spring semester, so do not return your room key and please know that you are allowed to keep your personal possessions in your room over the winter break period. 

(NEW) Self Check-Out. When you depart campus, you are required to check yourself out of your room via the Self Check-Out form on the Forms page. This notifies our staff that you have vacated the building and turns off card access.

The residence halls will reopen on Saturday, January 21, 2023. 

Before You Leave:

• Take your room key(s) - do not return your room key if you are returning to the same room assignment for Spring 2023. DO NOT LEAVE YOUR KEY IN YOUR ROOM.
• Take your Brown ID, government issued ID, passport, medications, and if applicable, plane/train tickets.
• Take all valuables with you. As noted in the 2022 - 2023 Housing Agreement, the University is not responsible for the personal property and items of residents. We strongly urge all students to have personal property insurance and to register their personal property with the Department of Public Safety through the Operation Identification property registration program.
• Close and lock all your windows. Please put the screens up and storm windows down, if applicable. If any windows or locks are broken, please call Facilities Management at 401-863-7800.
• Lock all doors and shut off lights.
• Properly dispose of all trash and open food from your room and refrigerator. Use designated trash rooms. Trash and food may not be left in the hallway. Do not throw away food trash in restroom trash cans. Custodial services will be curtailed for the first half of winter break, meaning trash left in restrooms may not be removed until full staffing returns on January 9.
• If you have any unopened non-perishable food items you no longer need, consider donating them to the Bear Market Food Exchange, on the 4th Floor of Page-Robinson building before December 22.
• Unplug all appliances (and chargers) except refrigerators to protect your electronics from potential power surges.
• Take any pets or animals home. Any student found to have left an animal (approved or non-approved), including fish and reptiles, alone in their residence hall room over break will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct and Community Standards or the Department of Public Safety. Students may also lose the ability to house the animal on campus in future semesters.
• Water and cover your plants with plastic bags if you cannot take them home. Do not leave plants in the bathroom.
• If you have had any restricted items confiscated by the Office of Residential Life or Environmental Health and Safety during the Health and Safety Inspection process, you are responsible for retrieving these items prior to your departure for the winter break. While you may reclaim confiscated items, you may not bring them back into the residence halls. To make arrangements for pick up, please email reslife_facilities@brown.edu. All unclaimed items will be discarded on Thursday, December 22, 2022 at 5pm ET.

If you need more information on fall closing, please view this webinar.

Please reply to this email if you have any questions.

We wish you the very best with the end of your semester and a peaceful Winter Break. 

Sincerely,

Amanda Surgens

Pronouns: she/her/hers

Director of Residential Operations & Strategic Planning

Office of Residential Life

Brown University | Providence, RI 02912