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Weather Report

As you know, last week's ice storm was extremely difficult for northwest Arkansas and the university community. Arguably, not in the history of the university has the area experienced a weather event that affected so large a number of people to the extent that this storm has affected virtually all of us. As a result, we believed that cancelling classes and suspending operations for an extended period of time was in the best interests of our students, our staff, and our faculty, most of whom faced power outages at home and dangerous conditions throughout campus and the entire region. Attempting to hold classes seemed like an unnecessary risk under the circumstances.

Nevertheless, vital components of the university continued to run during this time due to the tireless efforts of dozens upon dozens of staff. Facilities management teams worked upwards of 12-hour shifts to maintain power and basic services to most of campus throughout the storm. They worked around the clock to remove hanging limbs and dangerous debris from roads and sidewalks. They quickly repaired damage done by falling trees. They worked to ensure icy pathways and precarious icicles did not threaten drivers and pedestrians.

More behind the scenes, staff did not miss a beat in continuing to serve meals in residential dining halls, and operate temporary campus shelters for off-campus students without power. Sections of the Arkansas Union remained open where students could stop in and warm up, and computing services remaining largely online, allowing students to keep up with their studies. Our new emergency communications system, RazALERT, worked flawlessly in delivering timely, essential information to the university community. We even were able to hold a men's basketball game last Thursday night, giving students and thousands of others an opportunity for a brief respite from a difficult situation. And, as always, the University of Arkansas Police Department was out assisting people on treacherous roads and working to maintain a safe campus environment.

The staff who made this possible often neglected adverse situations at their own homes for several days in order to tend to our students and our campus. It's yet another example of the unwavering spirit of a Razorback and the dedication of so many to our university. To each of you, on behalf of the university, I extend to you a heartfelt thank-you.

Unfortunately, despite these remarkable efforts, our campus greenery sustained extensive damage. The extent of the damage is so great that we may not be able to take full stock of the devastation to many of our majestic trees for some time. But we will recover. In that spirit, our students have taken the lead in organizing a day of campus service cleanup this Thursday, from noon to 4 p.m. I hope you can pitch in and help. 

Obviously, this has been an unprecedented event, one that continues to unfold even after the ice has melted and classes have resumed. I hope and expect as we move past it and resume our semester, it becomes something that brings this campus even closer together.

Good luck with the rest of the semester, and again, thanks for all you've done and continue to do to make us all Arkansas proud.