 
 Disclaimer: UNCW will use university's standard website - https://uncw.edu/ - as well as Facebook and email as the primary methods of communication with UNCW students, faculty and staff during inclement weather conditions. You may access campus email by copying and pasting this address into your browser: https://outlook.office.com/owa/. In the event of temporary website service disruptions caused by power outages, UNCW will post storm-related information to this site. UNCW Emergency and Safety Updates during Michael ALERT: Classes & Campus Operations Will Resume As Scheduled Friday; Students Advised to Remain Indoors Until Fri. MorningTHURSDAY, OCTOBER 11, 2018 After an initial assessment of campus impacts and in consultation with local and national weather authorities, the university can confirm that classes and campus operations will resume as expected at 6 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. However, in an abundance of caution as wind gusts continue, campus authorities recommend that students remain indoors until 6 a.m. Friday. Campus Dining and other services remain suspended until Friday morning. Students should check individual office/location webpages before setting out on Friday, to confirm hours of operation. Campus remains closed to non-resident students and employees until Friday morning. Campus operations will resume and Condition 1 will be in effect as of 6 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 12. Employees facing challenges in returning to work should make the decision that is best for their personal circumstances and communicate with their supervisors accordingly. When moving about campus, employees and students should be mindful of potential hazards, including standing water, downed branches, and other debris. Do not enter standing water, which may contain bacteria, debris, and/or displaced snakes. Traffic lights may not be operational in some areas of campus, so be particularly aware of traffic. Roadways may be narrowed by debris so drivers should be alert to the possibility of pedestrians in traffic areas. We do not anticipate the need for any further communications concerning this weather event, but please continue to monitor your inbox and the UNCW Facebook feed for any updates. Thank you for your patience and for your attention to your safety and that of your campus community! ALERT: UNCW Classes Canceled at 12:20 p.m., Campus Closing at 1 p.m. Thursday Due to Projected Tropical Storm ConditionsWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2018 2 p.m. - Due to the projected path of Michael and the resulting tropical storm conditions, UNCW will cancel classes as of 12:20 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11, and university offices will close at 1 p.m., when the campus begins operating under Condition 2 (Suspended Operations) of the Adverse Weather Policy. We anticipate resuming classes and reopening campus per usual as of Friday, Oct. 12, at 6 a.m., but a message will be sent to confirm this by 7 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 11. Information about this closure’s impact on the academic calendar, if any, will be sent in the coming days. Consider your safety and the safety of others: remain indoors as much as possible during the storm. Area beaches are already affected by dangerous rip currents. Stay out of the water as directed by signage and safety personnel. Potential hazards during tropical weather include downed tree limbs and debris; temporary loss of power; standing water; and slick surfaces, particularly on steps and walkways. Roadways may be temporarily flooded. Do not attempt to drive through standing water. Do not enter standing water on foot; there may be significant risks of infection or electrocution. Hurricane Florence (Please note that this site will be updated whenever there is a new email or text alert message sent to students and employees, most likely pertaining to when campus will reopen. It is not intended as a real-time source of information regarding the storm's progress or impact. Please consult the emergency resource websites listed below for updates about the storm and its aftermath.) University Shares FAQs, Email Address, On-Campus Housing Hotline for Pressing Student Concerns in Aftermath of Hurricane FlorenceUNCW has shared a collection of FAQS for students, parents and employees in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence. The document will continually be updated in real time as new information becomes available. The university has also announced that students may send pressing hurricane-related concerns or questions to florence@uncw.edu. The mailbox has been set up so university staff can address urgent/time-sensitive questions from those students most in need of help during this difficult time. UNCW has also announced a hotline for residential students to call with questions related to ON-CAMPUS HOUSING. We ask that 1) students carefully read these FAQs before calling, as we have very limited staff who have been able to return to campus and 2) refrain from calling with questions about specific buildings/rooms, academic matters, or anything else not pertaining to on-campus housing, as we do not have the ability to answer those questions via this hotline. The number to call for questions related to on-campus housing is 910.962.3241. As UNCW will continue to operate with very limited staff until all employees return on Monday, Oct. 1, the university is asking students to carefully read the FAQs before sending questions via email, and to limit emails to questions or requests for support. The university continues to update the official Facebook feed with updates and resources for students, employees and parents, and officials encourage all audiences to continue to monitor this feed, along with their university inboxes, for the latest information. WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 26, 2018 12:15 p.m. --- This message was sent on behalf of Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli. Dear Faculty, Staff and Students: Thank you for your patience as we have continued to evaluate campus conditions. We know you are as eager to return as we are to have you back. While campus has been teeming with countless people helping us repair and rebuild, it is simply not the same without our entire family of Seahawks here. As you know, we had hoped to have employees come back to work tomorrow (Thursday, Sept. 27), with classes resuming on Oct. 1. Because of the significant repairs still under way at Galloway Hall and Cornerstone Hall, we were in the unfortunate position of asking those displaced students to delay their return until Oct. 6. Over the past couple of days, we have been made aware of nearly a hundred additional off-campus students displaced by the storm and in need of housing assistance. In addition, as our employees have been able to return to Wilmington, they have discovered substantial damage to their homes – in some cases, total loss. With all of this in mind, I have made the decision I believe to be best for our family of students and employees. We will now welcome employees back Monday, Oct 1. We have been authorized to extend Condition 3 until 6 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 1, thanks to the guidance and support of the UNC System. We will have additional details for employees as soon as possible regarding your campus reentry on Monday, what to expect when you return, etc. You may also receive additional communications from your managers or deans. We are all doing what we can to communicate as frequently and openly as we can, and we have appreciated your patience and your collaboration along the way. All students, with the exception of those in our OAP Online Accelerated Program), will now resume classes on Monday, Oct. 8. This means students will not be permitted to move back into their residence halls until Sat., Oct. 6. We realize that there may be students who have already made travel plans to accommodate the original move-in date of Sept. 29. We are very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause, but it was imperative that we not welcome students back until we were certain campus would be ready. Students and faculty will receive additional communications as soon as possible regarding the impact of this new timeline on our academic calendar. We have not made any decisions at this point beyond the cancellation of fall break and Reading Day. We ask for your continued understanding as faculty leadership and I work through an incredibly complicated situation, with the goal of minimizing the impact on the semester as best we can and preserving the integrity of the academic programs. We know you have questions. We know you are anxious for answers, and I assure you we are eager to provide those answers. We will continue to give you updates in real time; we are developing a list of FAQs, which will be shared via our homepage and Facebook feed by 5 p.m. today. In addition, as soon as we are able, we will share with you a hotline number and email address so we can personally address any questions you may have after reading those FAQs. Together, we will come through this better and stronger, and I am prouder than ever to be your chancellor. Sincerely, Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 2018 9:13 p.m. --- Message to Faculty and Staff from Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli Dear Faculty & Staff: I hope this message finds you as well as can be expected during this time. I know many of you continue to face very serious challenges pertaining to the damage and destruction we’ve seen throughout our region over the past ten days. Even in the wake of that destruction, it has been incredible to see the outpouring of support from our community and the rest of the country. Every day, new stories of hope and compassion abound, and I think it’s safe to say we have seen the very best of people as they’ve rallied to help their neighbors and even total strangers. I hope we will continue to be good to each other and to help however we can. (In that vein, many of you have asked how you can help our students affected by the hurricane, so I want to highlight the emergency fund recently launched by our University Advancement team. There are also still so many needs to be met by volunteers; you can learn more about those efforts here.) Thank you for your ongoing patience as we continue to assess campus conditions and manage an extensive recovery and repair effort. It has been a slow but steady process to determine the feasibility of the tentative reopening timeline we shared with you on Friday, but we have an update to share this evening based on the latest information available. If possible, faculty and staff should report to campus on Wednesday, Sept. 26. Please note that Condition 3 will continue to apply through Sept. 26. As of Thursday, Sept. 27, campus will revert to Condition 1. (Information on the UNC System’s Adverse Weather policy can be found here.) As always, we ask that you please make the decision that is best for your individual situation. You should discuss any extenuating personal circumstances with your manager, and we encourage managers to be flexible with employees facing personal challenges. We will confirm the timeline for the resumption of classes as soon as we possibly can. You will also receive an email in the coming days from our Human Resources team, with information on support resources available as you continue to assess and recover from the damage done by Florence. While campus remains very much a work in progress, we have made great strides in recent days – thanks to the incredible dedication of a small group of employees whose Seahawk spirit has been evident in every hour they’ve spent on our campus. We can’t thank them enough, but I hope you’ll join me in trying to do so when you return and reconnect with those colleagues. For now, we are all together in spirit, and that will continue to carry us through this recovery period. No matter where we are, we are Seahawk Strong. Sincerely, Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli friday, SEPTEMBER 21, 2018 2:53 p.m. --- Message from Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli (as emailed to faculty, staff and students) Dear Campus Community: Thank you for your ongoing patience while we continue to assess storm damage and determine the feasibility and safety of welcoming you all back to campus. As you know, our reopening must depend on not only on the progress we are making on campus, but also the road conditions and continuing storm impacts. Based on the latest information available from local and state authorities, we anticipate that our campus will be open to faculty and staff for a voluntary return as early as Wednesday, Sept. 26; and that classes will resume on October 1. Residence halls may be open as soon as 9 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 29, subject to the status of ongoing repairs. We are providing this tentative timeline as a means to give you as much planning time as possible. We wish we could provide confirmed dates, but with road conditions changing day by day, it is simply too soon to say. We will send you an update with confirmed dates as soon as we can determine them. We strongly advise against beginning to travel back to Wilmington until state and local authorities announce it is safe to do so. If authorities have not announced it is safe to travel back to Wilmington with ample time before our anticipated dates for faculty, staff and students to return, we will send you an amended timeline. (To be perfectly clear: Campus will not be accessible to faculty and staff before Sept. 26; classes will not resume before October 1; and residence halls will not be open before Sept. 29.) We recognize that no reopening timeline will be perfect for all employees or all students, especially in light of the individual hardships people have encountered. We encourage you, as always, to make the best decision possible for your individual situation, and speak to your managers (employees) and instructors (students) about any of your concerns. The campus remains under Condition 3 for employee timekeeping purposes. We will confirm that status, or a change in status, when we send you an update with confirmed return dates. We are working very hard to determine our closure’s impact on the academic calendar. We understand your anxiety about this, and we are doing our best to develop a plan to share with you as soon as possible. Please continue to monitor the UNCW Facebook feed for any available updates. All of you remain in our thoughts here on campus, as we continue to repair, rebuild, and restore our home to full functionality. Thank you again for your support and understanding as we continue to navigate this challenge together. Sincerely, Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli 6:53 p.m. --- Message from Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli (as emailed to faculty, staff and students) September 19, 2018 Dear Campus Community: Since returning to Wilmington after our evacuation, I have seen first-hand the damage inflicted by Hurricane Florence and the residual weather fronts, but I have also seen great determination and strength in our neighbors, our first responders and linemen, our local leaders, and, most relevant for this message, our faculty, staff and students. I am writing to you this evening with a combination of concern for all of you during this difficult time, and confidence in our collective ability to recover from this disaster. I recognize the fear, uncertainty and disbelief many of you are facing, and I want you to know your fellow Seahawks are with you. Countless people, from total strangers to System peers to alumni and friends, have contacted our campus to ask how they can help and to express their sympathy for what our community is going through. It is clear that the heart of the state is with us all, to say nothing of the support I have seen expressed by our students and employees for their fellow Seahawks. As we continue to move through the aftermath, I want to take a moment to thank all of you for your patience as we continue to assess damage to our campus and develop a plan for our reopening. While we don’t yet have a date confirmed, we expect to have one for you by the end of the week. We must confirm that our campus is safe, accessible, and functional; and we must allow time for students and employees to evaluate their personal circumstances, to travel back to Wilmington only when it has been confirmed by authorities as safe to do so, and to make the decisions that are best for them. We have committed to give you all a minimum of 72 hours’ notice before the date of reopening. In the meantime, I do have some updates that I hope will be useful:
Employees
Finally, I must thank those employees who returned to campus immediately after the storm (some while it was still going on, in fact). Our staff from Business Affairs (Facilities, Environmental Health & Safety, University Police, and ITS), Student Affairs, Academic Affairs and University Advancement have been tireless in their efforts to get us back up and running, often at the expense of responding to the storm’s impact on their own homes. I am very proud of their work and their dedication, and I hope you’ll join me in thanking them when you see them upon your return. As one of our MBA graduates recently shared with Provost Sheerer, we must “love where we live and rebuild what we love.” We are well under way. Thank you for your patience and your support of one another. As always, our Seahawk spirit unites us, makes us stronger, and helps us envision a brighter tomorrow even on dark days. We will get through this together. Sincerely, Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli monday, september 17, 2018 12:25 p.m. --- Campus to remain closed through Sept. 21 Dear Campus Community: Thank you for your patience as a very small but dedicated team of employees continues to assess campus damage. The university will be closed through Friday, September 21. This does not mean we will reopen on Monday, September 24. It simply means we can confirm at this point that we will not reopen this week. As we have said in previous messaging, we will provide a minimum of 72 hours' notice before we reopen. State and local authorities continue to say people should not try to return to Wilmington from outside our area, nor should they be traveling on local roads if they are still in our area. Please heed all guidance from these authorities; it may be difficult to envision current conditions if you are not in the area, but local media can provide a glimpse of both the hurdles we are facing as a community and the progress being made. Remember that rumors of campus or city damage, open or closed roadways, or our reopening should not be considered fact. We can stand behind only the messaging sent via campus email or posted on the university's Facebook feed or on this temporary homepage. We are not yet in a position to respond to individual questions about campus status or the potential impact on our academic calendar. We have made substantial progress in evaluating campus and in developing a plan for what's next. Please note that most of the Wilmington area remains without electricity or cell service, but we will continue to do our best to provide real-time updates. Again, thank you for your patience. We are all in this together, and we will come through this with the same Seahawk spirit we have always had, in good times and bad. SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 1:20 p.m. --- Campus Remains Closed; Student Support Website Launched
Thank you for your ongoing concern about our campus and the students and
employees who remain in the Wilmington area. Given the rain and wind conditions
that persist, we are still unable to fully assess damage to our campus. We are
not yet in a position to confirm or respond to questions, rumors or posts about
damage; we will share updates when we can, but we remain focused on the safety
and security of our campus and the employees tasked with carrying out the
damage assessment in very trying conditions. To reiterate what has been
conveyed by state and local authorities: Do not try to return to Wilmington
until they have confirmed it is safe to do so. We appreciate the instinct to
come back to try to help, which is the Seahawk way, but please defer to authorities
and the professionals and first responders who are already facing incredible
hurdles. For those asking how they can help: Countless UNCW students have been,
and will continue to be, personally affected by the storm. A secure online site
has been launched for those who wish to support the UNCW Campus Emergency
Relief Fund, which will provide assistance to students in need. Thank you for
your continued patience as we try to keep you posted in the midst of the power
outage and cell signal issues. We expect to post another update this
evening.
saturday, september 15, 2018 9:30 a.m. --- ALERT: UNCW Committing to Give Students and Employees a Minimum of 72 hours' Notice Regarding Campus Reopoening Seahawks, we are committing to give students and employees *a minimum of 72 hours' notice* regarding campus reopening and classes resuming. It is still too early to confirm a date as we won't be able to fully assess damage for another few days. We do not yet have any information on the closure's impact on the academic calendar or December commencement (if any). The very second we do, we will share it (it will not be until mid-next week or so). Very few people in Wilmington have Wifi/web access right now (in fact, we aren't even sure this will post), and we don't believe anyone in the county has electricity, so please bear with us as we try to keep you informed while tending to our own situations. Thank you for your patience. You are all on our minds. Friday, SEPTEMBER 14, 2018 1:02 p.m. --- ALERT: UNCW Campus To Remain Closed Until Further Notice; Date Expected to Be Announced After Weekend Seahawks and Seahawk families: We hope you have fared well so far. The storm is still beating us up here in Wilmington, so it is far too soon to assess damage to campus or to determine when we can return. For now, campus remains closed until further notice. We will give students and employees as much notice as possible before we reopen, taking into account travel challenges and other factors. We know you'd prefer to know an exact date, but it's just too early. We hope to be able to assess campus impacts this weekend and early next week; there likely won't be a date announced until then. We will continue to do the best we can to keep you all informed. Thank you for your patience and concern for your fellow Seahawks and our beloved home.8:35 p.m. --- ALERT: UNCW Campus To Close at 5 p.m. on Tues., Sept. 11 Dear Faculty & Staff: Based on ongoing updates from the National Weather Service and other authorities, the UNCW campus will close at 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 11. Employees should consult with their supervisors regarding their plan of action, and should not remain on, or report to, campus after 5 p.m. tomorrow unless specifically requested to do so. We continue to work closely with the UNC System regarding the adverse weather condition that will be in effect in the coming days. As soon as we receive an update on which condition applies, we will send a notification via email. Thank you for your ongoing attention in the lead-up to this weather event. MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 10, 2018 2:25 p.m. --- ALERT: Mandatory Campus Evacuation Issued for All Students; Chancellor Declares State of Emergency Dear Campus Community: Chancellor Jose V. Sartarelli has declared a state of emergency for the UNCW campus. Please read the below information carefully and share it with any friends/family members who may be wondering how the university is preparing for this event. Please also be sure to review the emergency resources available below. Emergency Resources:
UNCW Emergency and Safety Information for Students, Faculty & Staff Students
Faculty & Staff
Emergency Information / Communications The university will continue monitoring the situation in close collaboration with the National Weather Service and state and local agencies, and will share updates as warranted. When any new information becomes available and authorities are confident in its accuracy, it will be shared with the university community via the channels below. It is imperative that students and employees continue to monitor their UNCW inboxes, the UNCW homepage, the UNCW Alert site and social media feeds (Facebook and Twitter), as well as local weather reports. The weather hotline (888.657.5751) has been activated, but please remember the hotline features only information that has already been disseminated via these other channels; it is in operation for those who may not have internet service for access to the homepage, etc. The hotline may experience outages during the storm. Please also be advised that the UNCW website may not be fully functional in the event of a catastrophic weather event; in that case, text alerts, social media, and email will be the primary methods of communication. Student phone numbers are automatically registered to receive UNCW Alert emergency notifications by voice and text message. Faculty and staff registered who registered for the service by 11 p.m. Monday, Sept. 10 will receive UNCW Alert emergency text messages and voicemails. As always, you must make the best decision for you personally. Your safety is our primary concern, but you know your circumstances better than anyone. Students, consult with your families; employees, consult with your supervisors. Follow the course of action you believe is right for you. Thank you for your continued attention. Please note that the OUR inbox is not monitored for inquiries concerning the weather event as communications staff are focused on receiving and conveying updates from authorities. Please consult local media, the resources above, and previous messages for the latest information. - The Office of University Relations Previous Updates (Please note: Links below may not be fully functional if they refer to sources on standard UNCW webpages.)
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