Storm Update, Tuesday 7 pm

Dear friends,

As I wrote to you earlier today, Wesleyan is open and classes will be held on Wednesday. The situation with power and heat on campus remains fluid; there have been some power disruptions, and there will likely be more before everything is back to normal. But with the tolerance and goodwill of the Wesleyan community, we will find ways around obstacles and work together to resume our academic endeavors.

From a student perspective, we know these are not ideal conditions for resuming coursework. Student life has been disrupted, from access to the Internet to just having a warm place to sleep. From a faculty perspective, these have also been stressful times. Many professors still do not have power at home, and this has compromised their work and communications. Thus we resume classes in a context that is far from ideal. But we do think that having classes, even when assignments are not completed, is preferable to not having classes. We do expect that deadlines for work this week will be extended and examinations postponed into next week, while taking care not to then create an unrealistic compression of deadlines in the weeks to follow. Professors will be discussing particular arrangements with their students. Specific questions should be addressed to individual faculty members and, if need be, the divisional and class deans. I am so grateful for faculty who are finding ways to communicate with their students and plan their classes.

The Freeman Athletic Center now has electricity, and we will be bringing the facility online tomorrow. In regard to housing, the residence halls now have power. There will be a planned interruption overnight in some of the residence halls, but the impact should be minimal. Allow me to repeat what I said in this morning’s update concerning the wood-frames and program housing:

We realize that a significant number of our students living in program houses and in the wood-frames are still    without power. We are making alternative sleeping quarters available for these students. Those who want to bunk with friends in the residence halls are encouraged to do so. Those who would like the university to find them a place to sleep until power is restored (and those who want to offer to take in a student needing a warm room) should contact Residential Life at: 860 685-3550. We will use common spaces and lounges in our residence halls and will open other venues as needed.

The Wesleyan staff, many of whom have already worked so hard during this crisis, will be reporting to work in full tomorrow unless otherwise instructed by their supervisors.

Meanwhile, we fully expect that Homecoming/Family Weekend will take place November 4-6. We may be a little ragged around the edges, but we are looking forward to welcoming the entire Wesleyan family back to Middletown at the end of the week. Students will be especially delighted to greet their families, and alumni will join us to cheer on the Red and Black.

Thank you again for your patience and support. Unless there is more news to be reported earlier, we will issue the next update at the end of the day tomorrow.

Michael S. Roth, President