Storm Updates Archive (Nov. 3)

Power has been restored to Brodhead Residence Hall and those residents can now move back in.  The three facilities that remain closed at this time are Delta Gamma, Delta Upsilon, Sigma Phi Epsilon.   We continue to work diligently with PPL on these three facilities. Please stay tuned for updates.  In the meantime, alternate on-campus accommodations are available for students who reside in these chapter houses. For more information, students should call Residential Services at 610-758-3500 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

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Saturday, November 3rd   11 a.m.

Power has been restored to most of campus and to many of the off-campus neighborhoods. Campus is open and services are operating on their regular schedules. Students should plan on returning to campus for their regular class schedule, which resumes on Monday.

All residential facilities are open with the exception of Brodhead Residence Hall, Delta Gamma, Delta Upsilon, and Sigma Phi Epsilon. Students will be allowed to stay in these buildings as soon as power is restored and Facilities Services can check the buildings for safety. Alternate on-campus accommodations will be provided for students who reside in those buildings. For more information, students should call Residential Services at 610-758-3500 between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Students who are not able to safely travel back to Lehigh are asked to contact their professors directly regarding missed coursework or exams. Students who are unable to reach their professors can also call the Office of Academic Support at 610-758-4159 and leave a detailed message.

Earlier this week, Provost Pat Farrell sent out a detailed email regarding academic scheduling. That communication is reprinted in its entirety following this message.

The Office of Residential Services will be emailing students directly when stable power has been restored to those buildings still without power. Students can also arrange to have limited access to those facilities to retrieve essential belongings.  Brodhead residents can go to the Brodhead Lobby between 12 noon and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.  Greeks in chapter houses without power can go to Fraternity and Sorority Affairs in the UC Garden Level office to arrange for access between 12 noon and 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Alternate accommodations will still be provided in the UC tonight.  Students can register at the Information Desk before 8 p.m. this evening with a Lehigh student ID. Questions can be directed to the UC main desk at 610-758-4160.

For activities scheduled this weekend, go to the university calendar. For updates on dining options through the weekend, please go to lehighdining.com.

We will continue to provide updates at lehigh.edu as this situation evolves. Please check Lehigh email regularly for further information. Updates will also be posted at 610-758-NEWS (610-758-6397) and on the university's Facebook page and on Twitter @LehighUNews.

MESSAGE TO STUDENTS REGARDING ACADEMIC SCHEDULING:

Dear Students,

In anticipation of resumption of classes on Monday, Nov. 5, 2012, I am sending this note to students.

First, I know many of your families still have no power at your own homes--hopefully that will be rectified soon. We still do not have all buildings back to operational status on campus, but all academic buildings do have power and are ready to use. There may be continuing clean-up next week, and possible roof repairs and window repairs (Chandler-Ullmann) but for the most part, campus buildings escaped damage.

As you know, most of the Lehigh University campus, and much of the surrounding off-campus housing has been without electrical power since Monday Oct. 29. We have had to move students out of university housing (life safety concerns due to no lighting, no heat), ask staff not to report (Oct. 29, 30, 31), and cancel class the week of Oct. 29 to Nov. 2 (Oct. 29, 30, 31, Nov. 1 and 2). We will resume normal classes on Monday Nov. 5.
In addition to missing five class days, two of those days (Oct. 31 & Nov. 1) were scheduled for four o'clock exams.

With this note, I want to outline how we can make-up for the lost class days and lost four o'clock exam sessions. I recognize that this is challenging for everyone--faculty, staff, and students. We want to provide our students the learning opportunities they have missed due to class cancellation, while recognizing this may create scheduling issues for faculty, staff, and students. We have little flexibility in terms of changing the final exam or Thanksgiving recess schedules given academic as well as travel plans that have already been made.
Our assumptions are: don't schedule on Lehigh-Lafayette weekend (Nov. 17 and 18), don't schedule on Nov. 21-25 (Wednesday before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving weekend), don't schedule on or change RCS days (Dec. 8 and Dec. 10), and don't change final exam days (Dec. 11-19).

With these challenges in mind:

1. Classes will resume on Monday, Nov. 5, 2012, with regular Monday classes.

2. The two postponed four o'clock exam days have been rescheduled as follows:
  a. Make-up for Wednesday Oct. 31 is Tuesday Nov 13
  b. Make-up for Thursday Nov. 1 is Wednesday Nov 14 

3. To make-up for the five lost class days, faculty may develop make-up times and dates for their classes as needed, recognizing that many alternative class times may conflict with other student responsibilities or prior obligations. I ask faculty to do their best to accommodate students with scheduling challenges and provide alternative arrangements for students unable to attend a make-up class. We should still reserve the 4PM-7PM time for non-class activities, but after 7 PM could be available.

4.  We are formally designating the following five dates that classes can be held if faculty cannot arrange times as suggested above:
  a. Monday classes originally scheduled for Oct. 29 can be made up at original time on Saturday Nov. 10.
  b. Tuesday classes originally scheduled for Oct. 30 can be made up at original time on Sunday Nov. 11. 
  c. Wednesday classes originally scheduled for Oct. 31 can be made up at original time on Sunday Dec. 2. (Note this gives MW a Saturday-Sunday and TR a Saturday-Sunday)
  d. Thursday classes originally scheduled for Nov. 1 can be made up at original time on Saturday Dec. 1.
  e. Friday classes originally scheduled for Nov. 2 can be made up at original time on Sunday Dec. 9.

5. Two more changes in deadlines:
  a. Last day to drop with a W is moved back from Nov. 13 to Nov. 20
  b. Deadline to apply for January degree moved from Nov. 1 to Nov. 9

Regards,
Pat Farrell
Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs