KINGSTON, R.I. — Jan. 12, 2001 — The University of Rhode Island has completed the relocation plan for all classes and lectures held in the Chafee Social Science Center, which was closed on Dec. 23 following the discovery of elevated levels of PCBs. URI Vice Provost Blair Lord, who has headed the class relocation effort, said space in the Memorial Union, Edwards Hall, Quinn Hall, and two residence halls – Barlow and Weldin — has been enlisted to help with classes originally assigned to Chafee, which houses four large lecture halls, office space and classrooms. Lord said he and other administrators continue to explore alternative office space for faculty and staff formerly located in Chafee. Administrators are suggesting such options as faculty working from home, and faculty using space in the library and offices in other URI buildings. Chafee primarily housed academic departments in the College of Arts and Sciences and the URI School of Education. The University’s ARIES system, an on-line course schedule available from the URI home page, www.uri.edu, has been updated to reflect new classroom location assignments. Faculty and students have been encouraged to check their course schedules through this system, because even classes that were not originally located in Chafee may have been relocated. An e-mail was sent to all students on Wednesday with a link to the ARIES site. Also, information on the Chafee closure and general information related to health concerns is available on the URI website. The large lecture classes normally held in Chafee have been relocated to Edwards Auditorium and the Biological Sciences Center Auditorium. Efforts are being made to provide technological support for classes that will be moved into Edwards. No classes have been scheduled for Ballentine Hall, but three computer labs have been opened there to accommodate student needs. Ballentine has been made available on a temporary basis since the College of Business Administration moved to a site on Flagg Road in preparation for the Ballentine renovation project. “Throughout this process, our utmost concern is to ensure the health and safety of our students, faculty and staff,” said Lord. “At the same time, making sure that appropriate classroom and office facilities are arranged for students, faculty and staff is critical as we start a new semester.” For Information: Blair Lord 401-874-4408, Linda Acciardo 401-874-2116