Dear Students,

We hope you are doing well as the fall semester concludes. 

Our records indicate that you have been approved to live on campus for some or all of Winter Break. To support you during this period, this email includes important information about resources that will remain available to you throughout Winter Break. This information can also be found on the Campus Life website.

Please note that most University offices will be closed during Winter Break from 5:00 p.m. on Friday, December 22, 2023 until 8:30 a.m. on Monday, January 8, 2024. Additional details: 

• Dining Services: Fall 2023 meal plans end on Thursday, December 21. Dining Services will not be open December 22. You can purchase a Winter meal plan at https://mycard.brown.edu/. Winter meal plans and pricing are listed on the Bursar's website. Winter break hours of operations are below.

  • The Ivy Room will be open daily 10am-6pm from December 23, 2023 to January 7, 2024 and 7:30am-7:30pm from January 8, 2024 to January 19, 2024  

    • Accepted payment methods include Meal Swipes, Bear Bucks, cash, and cards.

  • The Blue Room will open and resume normal operations on 1/8/2024.  

    • Credit cards, cash, and Bear Bucks are accepted for payment at the Blue Room.

  • All Dining locations resume normal operations and Spring meal plans begin on Saturday, January 20, 2024.

• Facilities Requests: Facilities Management will have a limited number of staff working when University offices are closed. To report an urgent facilities request, please call 401-863-7800. Please note that custodial services, including the cleaning of common spaces and removal of trash will be limited from Friday, December 22 to Monday, January 8.

• Lockouts: Please carry your key and ID card with you at all times. Should you find yourself locked out of your room during winter break, please stop by the Key Center (Grad Center E, 3rd floor) or call 401-863-3502 for assistance. 

• Mail Services: The Mail Room will have limited hours during the break. More information can be found on the Mail Services website.

  • Saturday, December 23 to Tuesday, December 26 - CLOSED
  • Wednesday. December 27 to Saturday, December 30 - Open 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • Sunday, December 31, 2023 and Monday, January 1, 2024 - CLOSED
  • January 2 to January 5 - Open 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
  • January 6 to January 7 - CLOSED

• Shuttles: The fall shuttle service schedule will end normal operations on Friday, December 22. During winter break, they will modify their schedule. Please visit the Transportation website for the exact hours of operations during the University closure. 

• Bear Bucks: Due to scheduled maintenance, the Bear Bucks accounting system will be disrupted on Wednesday, December 27, 2023 between midnight and 8am ET. This outage will affect multiple systems used by students, including Dining, MyPrint, Laundry, Vending, Bookstore, Pharmacy, and Mail Services. Bear Bucks and mycard.brown.edu will not be available during this time. Laundry service is available at all other days and times.

In addition to this information, we also wanted to provide an opportunity for you to connect with others who are also staying in Providence during the winter break. We have created the Winter Break Community Google Group, to which your Brown email will be added. The Winter Break Community group was created to help those staying on campus during the break maintain communication to enhance the community's bonding. Use this time to make new friends intentionally - we can never have enough! You will receive more information via this Google Group in the coming days.

If you have any questions about your housing or resources during Winter Break, please reply to this email so that we can ensure you have the information and support that you need. 

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

Sincerely,

Amanda Surgens (she/her/hers)

Director of Residential Operations

Office of Residential Life