Dear members of the Brown Community,

As we wrap up academic activities for the year and ready the campus for the celebratory milestone of Commencement, I am writing to share the work that will take place over the summer to fortify a sense of safety and security for our community. This will include further planning for the future of spaces in Barus and Holley, continued updates to Brown’s network of security cameras, and communicating about the After-Action Review of the events of December 13 and the comprehensive Campus Safety and Security Assessment. All of this work reflects our commitment to placing our community’s safety and well-being at the center of all we do.

But first, I want to pause and acknowledge that this past year was extraordinarily difficult for so many in our community — truly challenging in so many ways. While we continue to hold in our hearts the losses that will leave Brown forever changed, I am looking ahead with hope and optimism.

I have heard over the past few months from so many members of our community about the importance of reclaiming all that it is to be Brown. In my regular conversations with students, faculty, staff and alumni, I continue to hear an insistence that we cannot allow the senseless act of an individual who perpetrated a horrific act of violence to define who we are as a campus. At the same time, we know that healing and recovery from the tragedy continues to be a journey, and we have committed to listen to our community at every step as we take a thoughtful and measured approach to this period of phased restoration. Community engagement will continue to inform all the work described in this letter.

Please take some time to read these detailed updates. I also encourage you to watch Today@Brown and emails over the summer, particularly for information arising from the After-Action Review and Campus Safety and Security Assessment. We plan to communicate the results of these reviews before the start of the fall semester. This will allow security enhancements to proceed when immediate action steps are identified that will benefit our community. We also may have progress to share related to memorialization as part of the Brown Ever True recovery effort.

Planning for Barus and Holley Classroom Renovations

In the recent letter announcing the Committee on the December 13 Memorial, I noted that while that work is getting underway, we also will develop plans for renovating the Barus and Holley classrooms that have been closed this semester. Design work recently began for a full and transformational renovation of the classrooms, with the goal of having the rooms available for use in the middle of the 2026-27 academic year. However, given the inherent uncertainties involved in such a significant renovation, courses for next academic year will continue to be scheduled under the assumption that these spaces will not be available for teaching.

These classrooms are critical to fulfilling Brown’s educational mission, in addition to being heavily used for student organization meetings, events and other activities. The overarching goal of the renovation is to thoughtfully transform the existing Barus and Holley classroom wing into a welcoming, safe, connective place with excellent spaces for teaching, learning and campus life. And we understand that reclaiming the spaces in which the shooting took place will require both care and courage. Even as we acknowledge this important step in our collective campus-wide healing and recovery effort, we know the trauma associated with the location of violence. Taking back those physical spaces — particularly for the many students and faculty who consider this the “home” of their education, research and scholarship at Brown — will be a demonstration of our resilience as a university community.

We will carry out the full and comprehensive renovation of the classrooms with the highest level of sensitivity and thoughtfulness, and in close consultation with the departments and the members of our community who are most directly affected by the loss of these spaces and all that they represent. That consultation has begun with faculty in the School of Engineering and the Departments of Physics, Applied Mathematics and Mathematics who, together, teach the vast majority of classes in these rooms.

We also received important insights from the most recent Department of Public Safety and Emergency Management (DPSEM) campus-wide community survey, in which we asked faculty, students and staff who worked or had a class in Barus and Holley in the past year how they felt about returning to that space. Understandably, the preliminary survey results were mixed: while a majority of faculty and staff reported they are comfortable working, teaching, studying or attending classes in the building, students expressed greater concern. There are wide and varied experiences and relationships with the classrooms in Barus and Holley, including among the many community members outside of engineering and physics.

Recognizing that returning to the area of the original classrooms may be difficult for some, we are making plans for strong support resources when operations resume. These will be similar to what we provided when other areas of the engineering and physics complex opened in January. Also, while we are still in the early design phase, I can share that the space is being planned to look and feel very different. This will include creating small recesses of social space to provide opportunities to pause and connect; bringing in natural light to brighten interior spaces; and introducing new furniture and technology to support the current and future teaching needs of the classes held in these rooms.

In the fall semester, we plan to provide updates regarding the renovation, including the anticipated opening date and plans for support services that will be timed with the opening. We also will provide opportunities to address questions or concerns associated with reopening the transformed classrooms.

Continued Updates to Security Cameras

As part of the University’s security assessment of campus facilities, we have been working over the course of the semester to expand coverage of security cameras to maintain a consistent standard across buildings with similar uses and profiles. The next phase of this work includes expanding the placement of cameras across a category of buildings that meet criteria for hosting sensitive research, housing critical infrastructure or hosting large members of the public. These spaces already have varying levels of camera coverage based on their history and use. Our goal is to bring them into alignment with a defined standard, including coverage at key points of ingress and egress. A top priority is ensuring a thoughtful, consistent approach that supports both safety and operational effectiveness across campus.

This work is distinct from the determinations for Brown’s overall approach to security cameras that will be informed by the external comprehensive Campus Safety and Security Assessment being performed by Teneo Risk, the global consulting firm that is also conducting the After-Action Review of the December 13 shooting (both under the direction of an external law firm). Further considerations about security cameras will be informed by input contributed by Brown faculty, students and staff as part of the community engagement component of Teneo’s work. This included feedback from listening sessions, engagement with the Brown University Community Council, and insights from the annual community survey administered by DPSEM, which was sent to all members of the Brown campus.

Perspectives from our community will help refine and evolve our approach to cameras, ensuring that our efforts continue to reflect the needs and priorities of faculty, staff and students. We recognize the importance of thoughtful and appropriate use of these tools. We are focused on the use of cameras to assist in incident response and investigation, not for continuous surveillance. Cameras are but one part of a broader approach grounded in prevention, response and community care.

After-Action Review and Safety and Security Assessment

As noted above, we plan to share with the campus in August the key outcomes from the review of Brown’s preparedness and response to December 13 and the comprehensive assessment of campus security policies, procedures, infrastructure and training. We expect to receive reports from both reviews from Teneo Risk in the coming weeks and will then develop an implementation plan. This plan may include identifying areas requiring further community engagement and/or action through the University’s governance processes.

I have previously shared immediate security enhancements following the shooting, and we continue to focus on preparation and training, such as educating our community about how to contact DPSEM to report troubling incidents and how to access support. We continue to encourage all members of the campus community to download and use the Rave Guardian app, which features a mobile panic button and tools to report suspicious behavior. In addition, we have continued to refine our approach to building access, including recent updates shared with the community that are designed to support the needs of students, faculty and staff while advancing our shared safety goals.

Again, I encourage all community members to watch for campus messages and updates through Today@Brown this summer for additional updates.

In Closing, a Thank You

As we move toward the end of the semester, I want to express my deep gratitude for the multitude of Brown community members who have worked to support a safe and secure environment for teaching and learning. From the DPSEM officers and Building Access Coordinators who implemented new building access and security protocols following December 13, to the many departments and offices that offered support services, to the faculty for their commitment to education and research, and to every individual community member who contributed their perspectives and experiences related to safety and personal well-being, I thank you.

The work to sustain a thriving campus takes a full community. I am proud of the work we continue to do together to heal, recover and support one another. As some prepare for the summer term, others look ahead to the fall, and we also prepare for the joyous celebration that is Commencement and Reunion weekend, I am deeply grateful to each of you for your partnership.

Sincerely,

Christina H. Paxson
President