Imagine my surprise last night when my plane from Beijing touched down at JFK and I turned on my phone. Lots of messages about the weather, and then the big surprise: Middletown was without power, and even though our core of campus has underground cables feeding the buildings, Wesleyan, too, was dark. It was a cold night, but students could camp out in the warm science library or just hunker down together in the residence halls. Most chose the latter option, and, in good Wes spirit, took the blackout in stride. It’s a beautiful, brisk morning, and the students are safe and sound. We are serving a continental breakfast at 9 am this morning, and I look forward to seeing folks at Usdan.
Classes are cancelled today, and we will be letting students know more about campus services on an ongoing basis.
In a few hours we will know more about the power situation for the next 24 hours. I will be sending out an official communication in the early afternoon, and I will use this blog for any interim reports.
UPDATE: 9:40 am
Just came back from Usdan University Center, where a line of students were grabbing a healthy breakfast.
- Breakfast at Usdan
Tree crews are out cleaning up the campus. Tough year for trees!
- Yogurt, Fruit and Coffee Cake to Provide Energy for a Cold Morning
- Chilly But Beautiful
As temperatures climb (we expect it to reach the 50s today), and students find food and camaraderie, we will be getting back to normal. A more official power report to come in a few hours.
Just wondering how you’ll be letting students know about campus service since virtually all of them are now holding powerless cell phones. (I keep hearing that the admin is keeping in touch by text, but I know my daughter’s phone–and her friends’ phones–are now dead. Perhaps rounds are being made on foot, and doors knocked on?) Rumor has it, too, that there is no running water in the bathrooms because they faucets are the automatic/electonic kind. If this is true, is someone going to supply the dorms with water? (Supplying just one meal a day is bad enough, but no water????)
Thank you to all Wesleyan staff, administrators, etc. Looks like you are all taking things in stride and have good weather to warm things up!
If power outage is to continue, would it be practical to provide shuttle service to New Haven Train Station for those who have family and friends in NYC?
Is there access to the Health Center and medical staff for those who have medical issues? Does the hospital have power for medical emergencies?
We are all very grateful for your efforts on behalf of the students. If there is anything we can do to help, parents are anxious to be of assistance.
Cory Alperstein, P’14
my son choose to stay last night, I have not heard from him since, please keep the kids posted on outage, I have a home in Ct. and did not get power back after Irene for 8 days. So therefore weary about renewed power in 24 hours. Hoping Ct light and power giving you trust worthy information. Gail Kantor
Why doesn’t Wes have a few residences supplied with emergency generators? A permanent installation would make sense, but for now and in future – portable (semi trailer models) generators would seem a wise decision and prudent investment…what if the temps were sub zero?
A better weather recovery plan seems in order??
I really feel classes should be cancelled until the power is back. Many students have left campus, others don’t have anyway to keep in touch and receive alerts, there will be no power in many campus houses for days and the fact that doors are being propped open because the key cards don’t work shows you are not putting the kids’ safety first. Garbage is being piled up, what is so urgent that you cannot reschedule a few days of classes until it is safe. Also carbon monoxide detectors and fire alarms are not working properly. You are putting all the kids already in a stressful situation under more stress and jeopardizing their safety.
Gail Whitman
President Roth,
I’d love to echo some of the parents who have posted about communication to the students. By far, the most effective form so far has been flyering, as text messages and e-mails are not getting through to the entire student body. I hope this page isn’t an inappropriate place to be posting such a request, but I think it would help the whole school work as a more cohesive unit if everyone was on the same page. Especially for those who are struggling with whether to leave or stay, and those who are stressed about completing work for a potentially shortened week, it would be great to feel more connected to the administration. That being said, I’m extremely appreciative of the staff’s efforts to keep us fed and warm – it’s certainly been a tremendous effort. Thank you for fielding these requests, and for keeping spirits up.
Sincerely,
Ethan Tischler ’14