Sunday, September 01, 2019

The following message was issued to all UNCW students and employees via campus email and will be shared via social media channels as well.
 
Dear Campus Community:
 
University and local officials continue to closely monitor the path of Hurricane Dorian in order to evaluate its potential impact on our area. Weather agencies continue to indicate their confidence is "low to moderate” in terms of the storm’s ultimate path. As a result, it is too soon to make decisions concerning the storm’s possible impact on classes and campus operations during the latter part of the week. However, we want to be as sensitive as possible to those students and employees who left the area for the holiday weekend and are trying to determine their plans for returning. With that in mind, and to allow for several hours of daylight for driving, by approximately 12 p.m. on Monday we will announce a decision regarding whether classes will be delayed or canceled on Tuesday. We will share this decision with students and employees via campus email, and it will be reiterated on the homepage and social media channels in order for parents and other loved ones to stay informed.
 
At this point, we ask that students begin to consider and finalize their plans in the event that an evacuation must occur. No decision has been made regarding a voluntary or mandatory evacuation, but it’s best to be prepared in advance of that possibility. If you are already on campus, consider making a list of those items you would bring with you (including anything monetarily or sentimentally valuable; medications; electronics; and books). Share with your parents information about your intended evacuation location. If you do not have an evacuation location and are not able to join a friend at his or her location, please notify your resident advisor for guidance. In the event of an evacuation, either voluntary or mandatory, the university’s evacuation policies will be in effect; classes will be officially canceled and the grading and attendance policies would be suspended. At that point in time, Academic Affairs will reach out to faculty leadership to address the cancellation of classes and the university would notify students about next steps.
 
As previously recommended, please continue to follow the UNCW Facebook feed for real-time updates, as this is often the communication channel through which university officials can share information most quickly and reliably, especially if web outages could affect long-term connectivity; and because Facebook allows for a more detailed update than other social media channels. Significant developments, e.g., the issuing of a campus evacuation or an update on the status of classes or campus operations, will be shared via campus email, on the UNCW homepage, and via social media. In the event of an emergency or an urgent message, phone calls and/or text messages will be issued via UNCWAlert. Information about the university’s emergency alerts distribution list can be found here; students are automatically included on this distribution list, but faculty and staff must opt in.
 
We want to assure you and your families that we are doing everything we can to make the decisions that support your safety, above all else, while also considering possible academic year impacts. Please continue to monitor your inbox and Facebook for the latest information available. Thank you for your continued patience as we all do our best to prepare for this weather event.
 
This message was posted by the Office of University Relations on behalf of various campus units, including Environmental Health & Safety and the Division of Student Affairs.