This message is sent on behalf of Enrollment Services.
As noted last week, the University has been working toward completing a number of updates relevant to individual class schedules for the fall semester. Thank you again for your patience and support as we look to design a fall experience that is enriching for our students and community. Please continue to visit the URI COVID-19 response website for regular updates and more information about returning to URI this fall.
Increases in financial aid offerings
The University of Rhode Island recognizes the financial challenges this pandemic has presented to many of our students and their families. Therefore, the University is investing an additional $2 million in financial aid to address the financial challenges that our students and their families are sharing with us on a daily basis.
If you are a dependent student whose parents’ current financial situation is not accurately reflected by the 2018 tax information entered on your 2020-21 FAFSA, you may fill out the 2020-21 Dependent Student Special Circumstances form.
Independent students who feel that the 2020-21 FAFSA information does not accurately reflect their current financial situation may use the 2020-21 Independent Student Special Circumstances form.
Please submit the form and all supporting documentation through our secure portal.
Additionally, the URI Foundation and Alumni Engagement is pleased to continue its great partnership with URI in providing scholarships to ensure student access and will launch a special campaign to raise immediate use dollars for scholarships to provide support for our students. The entire URI community will be asked to come together and give in order to assure that our students can benefit from what we all know is a life changing experience and education at URI.
Fall classes
The University is committed to creating a healthy environment for all members of the URI community, and to providing the academic experience our students expect — one that ensures their continued success and supports their timely degree completion. To accomplish these goals, we have created a flexible mix of in-person, blended, and online courses. Please be aware that class schedules may vary by major and student preferences.
Student class schedules
Starting today, Tuesday, July 21, students are encouraged to review their updated fall class schedule in e-Campus. While some changes will still occur over the summer, the majority of changes to the modes of instruction have now been made in eCampus. The following helpful video will assist you in how to view your schedule and understand the mode(s) of instruction.
We recognize that students have individual needs and may want to work with their advisers to alter their course schedules. There are advising resources available for those students who need to request changes to their schedules.
Student support and advanced technology investments
URI will have a full array of both in-person and virtual academic student support services, including career services, advising, academic support, counseling, etc. For example, the Academic Enhancement Center will offer online “strategies for success” modules and Zoom discussions with professional staff starting in late August. The Center for Career and Experiential Education has developed new career planning and competencies for success workshops as well as robust internship opportunities. Hundreds of our faculty have worked with the Office for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning over the summer to ensure high-quality and engaging technology-enriched learning experiences.
In addition, URI has accelerated its 21st Century Classroom initiative, and is investing heavily this summer in state-of-the-art learning software applications and advanced synchronous technology in most of our classrooms to support the URI virtual learning environment. High-quality blended and online learning will be part of higher education at URI in the future and is a teaching/learning modality that will only expand and improve over time. We are pleased to bring some of these innovations to URI during fall 2020.
Making our campuses ready
Teams of employees are working to prepare campus buildings for re-occupancy. When you arrive on URI campuses you will notice new signs about room occupancy, travel paths, elevator guidance, stairway directions, and much more. Classrooms, lecture halls, and laboratories are being reconfigured to ensure proper physical spacing and circulation for students and faculty. Videos and photos of many of these spaces will be available in the coming weeks to demonstrate the classroom experience students and faculty can expect this fall.
As part of the COVID-19 effort, Facilities Operations and the Office of Capital Projects are evaluating all URI buildings that employ forced air systems for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC). We have engaged Tighe and Bond, a mechanical engineering firm, to aid in the evaluation and reconfiguring of these systems. The University will use guidelines from ASHRAE (The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers) in as many applications as possible.
The University has buildings of various ages and therefore there is no single application that can be employed unilaterally. The objective in this effort is to take every reasonable precaution to ensure as healthy a building environment as possible. We will couple these efforts with our cleaning and disinfecting efforts to help ensure a safe environment for our students, faculty and staff.
We will continue to inform the community as the plan evolves with more information on daily wellness screenings, testing, contact tracing, transportation, and campus life and activities leading up to the fall.