Dear Students,

We hope your fall semester is going well. We are writing to share important information about Thanksgiving break housing, end of semester closing, and spring semester opening.

Thanksgiving Break

All residence halls remain open during Thanksgiving Break (Wednesday, November 22 - Sunday, November 26). While no approval is needed to remain on-campus during this break, we ask that you let us know if you plan to stay by completing our Thanksgiving Plans form no later than 11:59pm ET on Thursday, November 16. Our office arranges a few events/programs that you can attend as well as get connected to others who are still on campus during the break..

Fall Closing

The residence halls will close at 12pm ET on Friday, December 22, following the conclusion, on Thursday, of the final exam period. All card access will be disabled at that time, except for students with  prior approval to remain on campus. If you will be returning to your current housing assignment in the spring, you should keep your room key; your personal belongings can remain in your room over winter break. If you will not be returning to on-campus housing in the spring, you must fully vacate your fall housing assignment and return your room key no later than Friday, December 22 (when the halls close). 

You will receive more detailed information about fall closing after  Thanksgiving Break.

Winter Break Housing

If you need to remain in your residence hall room beyond 12pm ET on Friday, December 22, arrive prior to 8am on Saturday, January 20, or remain in on-campus housing for the entirety of winter break, you must submit the Winter Break Housing form. The form will be available beginning Thursday, November 16, 2023, and has a priority deadline of Thursday, December 7, 2023. Late requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. 

You do not need to complete the Winter Break Housing form if you do not plan to live on-campus between December 22 and January 20.

If you do not have assigned on-campus housing for the Spring 2024 semester, you will not be eligible for full winter break housing nor eligible to submit an early arrival request. If you are in need of a brief housing extension at the end of the fall semester, you may request it via the form but approval is not guaranteed. 

Student housing requests will be considered based on one of the following criteria: travel challenges, housing insecurity, unsafe home environment, athletic programs, student employment, sponsored program/research, Brown Winter Session, or RISD Wintersession. Requests outside of those conditions or without sponsorship will be reviewed but may not be approved. 

Housing during the winter break period costs $45 per day. Sponsors are responsible for payment and if you are without a sponsor, you are responsible for payment. If you are sponsored and you are approved to arrive outside the date(s) noted by your sponsor, you are responsible for all housing charges for the non-sponsored days at a rate of $45 per day. (Information about the process for seeking financial support is below.)

Domestic Students who are unable to return home over winter break and need financial assistance with on-campus housing and/or meals, need to schedule a financial advising appointment with the College here. Please note that you must also be separately approved to stay on campus by Residential Life. You will need to schedule a financial advising appointment no later than Friday, December 15. Questions regarding EGAP Winter housing and meal support should be directed to financial_advising@brown.edu.

International students studying on an F-1 visa in need of financial assistance for on-campus housing and/or meals during the winter session should complete this form by December 11.  Financial assistance is prioritized for students with emergent or unexpected situations in conjunction with their financial need, as determined by the Office of Financial Aid. Please note that completion of this form does not guarantee approval for financial assistance and you must also be separately approved to stay on campus by Residential Life. More information can be found on the form.  International students with questions should contact internationaladvising@brown.edu. 

Fall meal plan access is available through the end of the exam period on December 21. Please note that approval for winter break housing does not include winter break meal services. Students interested in meal services during the winter break period should refer to the Dining Services website or contact Dining Services directly at dining_services@brown.edu or 401-863-3343.

Spring Opening

The residence halls will reopen at 8am on Saturday, January 20, 2024. Before accessing your residence hall for the Spring semester, you must complete a self check-in via the StarRez Housing Portal which will activate swipe access and inform our staff that you have arrived. The link to this process will be sent to you prior to your arrival. 

If you have any questions about the information provided in this communication or in general, please visit our website, attend our office hours, or contact us at res_life@brown.edu.

Sincerely,

Amanda Surgens (she/her/hers)

Director of Residential Operations

Office of Residential Life

Brown University | Providence, RI 02912