Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - 8:30 a.m.
To: Holy Cross Students, Faculty and Staff
The College will re-open and resume all operations at 12 noon today.
Afternoon classes will be held as scheduled (unless students hear otherwise from their professor).
Employees who are unable to come to work on Wednesday because of weather conditions should notify their supervisors. Vacation time, floating holidays or personal time may be used as appropriate. Sick time may not be used for this purpose.
Information on parking
Parking lots and main campus roadways are clear, as are most pathways. However, because of the challenge of snow removal, some reserved and/or individual parking spots are blocked by snow. Please do not park in areas where there are cones or large piles of snow.
Stairways are clear, but some pathways are closed and so indicated. Don’t walk on un-plowed, un-shoveled paths, and wherever you walk, wear weather-appropriate shoes!
Information on facilities
Kimball will open for brunch at 10 a.m.
Information on transportation
Transportation today will only cover Union Station with one professional driver from noon until the 7:45 p.m. inbound train.
No other vans will be released until the full schedule resumes Thursday, January 29.
Many thanks to members of the College Community -- including staff in Dining, Public Safety, Grounds, Health Services, and Residence Life, among many other offices and departments -- who worked Monday, Tuesday, and well into the early morning hours of Wednesday. Their work preparing the campus, keeping it safe, and providing services to students ensured that the College would be up and running today.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - 7:35 p.m.
To: Faculty and Staff
At this time, the College still anticipates re-opening and resuming all operations at 12 noon on Wednesday, January 28; and afternoon classes are likewise expected to be held as scheduled.
A final decision (based on weather and campus conditions) will be made and communicated by 9 a.m.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - 3:45 p.m.
To: Students
The campus shelter-in-place order will be temporarily lifted from 4 p.m. to midnight today. Plowing on campus will be suspended during this time.
Kimball will be open for dinner 5-8 p.m., and will reopen for brunch at 10 a.m.
Please be careful as you move about the campus during these hours. Wear bright colors and stay on plowed roadways and paths.
Plowing on campus will resume after midnight.
Tuesday, January 27, 2015 - 9:45 a.m.
To: Students
As you know from monitoring weather reports, the Worcester area is still experiencing blizzard conditions -- with snow, gusty winds, and very cold temperatures. We expect this weather will continue until well into Tuesday evening.
Because of the dangerous conditions, the campus shelter-in-place order remains in effect until further notice.
Plowing and other campus maintenance work will continue throughout the day. We hope to resume campus services as soon as possible. You will be notified about any updates to this status via email, the College website, and social media.
In the event of any emergency, please call the Public Safety emergency line at Ext. 2222. For non-emergencies, call Ext. 2224 (508-793-2224).
Thank you again for your attention and cooperation.
Monday, January 26, 2015 - 1:30 p.m.
To: Faculty, staff and students
From: William J. Conley Jr, Director of Administrative Services
As you know, the Northeast is bracing for a severe snowstorm with blizzard conditions. In our efforts to help keep the Holy Cross campus community safe during this time, the College’s Emergency Response Team met this morning to review weather forecasts and campus preparations for the storm. Weather reports have indicated a light snow will begin falling Monday evening, becoming heavy throughout the evening, with the heaviest occurring all day Tuesday through Tuesday night. The Worcester area is expecting 20 to 30 inches of snowfall, with accompanying high winds and dangerously low visibility.
Information for students:
Tuesday classes and Wednesday morning classes, along with class-related events during these times, are cancelled. Classes are expected to resume at noon on Wednesday. Students should assume that their classes on Wednesday noon, afternoon and evening will be held as scheduled unless you hear otherwise from your professor.
Because the College will close early for non-essential employees today at 4 p.m. [see below], individual faculty members will decide whether to hold class today between 4 p.m. and 9 p.m.
We anticipate issuing a “shelter in place” order on Monday at 9 p.m. to protect those on campus and to mitigate risks during snow removal operations. At that time, you will be instructed to stay in your residence halls. We anticipate the order will be lifted on Wednesday, January 28 at 10 am. Students will receive the “shelter in place” message via the Connect ED emergency notification system. All information will also be posted on the College website.
During dinner on Monday in Kimball (from 4:30-7 p.m.) students will be given to-go food for Tuesday through Wednesday morning.
Facilities will be open as follows:
Kimball Dining Hall: will serve food until 7 p.m. on Monday, and reopen for brunch Wednesday at 10 am.
Hogan Campus Center: limited service will be available Monday until 6 p.m. Hogan will reopen on Wednesday at 12 noon.
Dinand Library: Dinand and all libraries will close at 7 p.m on Monday. We anticipate that libraries will reopen Wednesday at 12 noon.
Hart Center and Fieldhouse: will close at 5:30 p.m on Monday. Messages will be posted on the website regarding reopening time.
Because of the severity of this storm and the danger it presents, we ask you to help us keep the campus safe by abiding by rules and directions — especially when the “shelter in place” order is issued. In case of an emergency, please phone the Public Safety emergency line at Ext. 2222. For non-emergencies, call Ext. 2224 (508-793-2224).
Students interested in helping shovel snow on Wednesday (after the “shelter in place” order is lifted) should contact the grounds department at 508-793-3477.
Scheduled campus events and activities on Monday and Tuesday will be canceled and rescheduled at a later date, as appropriate. Please check your email and the College website for updates and more information.
Information for faculty and staff:
The College will have an early release at 4 pm today, Monday, for all non-essential employees. If you are not sure about your status as an essential employee (grounds, designated trades personnel, designated Auxiliary Services, and the Public Safety Department) or non-essential employee, please check with your supervisor.
The College will be closed on Tuesday. All essential personnel will report to work in order to address student services. A separate memo will be coming out from Human Resources regarding time reporting.
We anticipate a late re-opening on Wednesday, and expect to resume College operations at 12 noon that day. Employees who are unable to come to work on Wednesday because of severe weather conditions should notify their supervisors. Vacation time, floating holidays or personal time may be used as appropriate. Sick time may not be used for this purpose.
All essential employees should check with their supervisors for specific instructions.
Parking/driving information:
After 6 p.m. on Monday, there will be no parking along campus roadways or in the Hogan Campus Center and Loyola lots. Essential employees who must report to work should park behind Carlin or in the employee lot by Hogan Campus Center.
The upper deck of the parking garage needs to be kept clear. Parking should only be under the covered part of the garage.
Van service will shut down at 4 pm on Monday and tentatively will start at noon on Wednesday.
Emergency notification:
Health Services in Loyola Hall will be open for emergency visits only. Please contact Public Safety if you need services.
In the event of emergency or critical campus situations, the community will be alerted via Connect ED, telephone and/or email messages.
Please check the College’s website for updates on our local weather, campus operations, and cancelled events. You will also find updates posted on the Holy Cross Facebook page and Twitter account.
