Category: Winter Storm Message Archive

March 2, 2021

Dear Faculty, Staff, and Students:

After nearly a year of the most remarkable adjustments by every member of the SMU community, the week before last challenged us again beyond imagination. We are thankful to everyone who worked throughout that week to keep us safe, healthy, warm and nourished.

SMU cancelled almost five full days of instruction during the weather event and, as you know, we need to recover lost time. During the campus closure, leaders from across the University consulted to determine our best options. These conversations included Faculty Senate Executive and Calendar Committees, Student Senate, Council of Deans, Accreditation Representatives, Provost’s Leadership Forum, Offices of Financial Aid and Enrollment Services, Student Affairs, and the President’s Executive Council.

After careful consideration of federal credit-hour requirements, the consensus of the groups we consulted is to use Good Friday and Reading Day One to make up two instructional days; the remaining direct instruction will be left to the discretion of individual faculty members to ensure that all course outcomes are met. We made the decision to use Good Friday only after careful consideration, and the campus leaders we worked with – including those from Faculty and Student Senate – advised it would be preferable to scheduling a make-up day on a Saturday. We intend to be sensitive to and accommodate the members of our SMU community whose religious practices include a full observation of Good Friday.

Religious Observance & SMU Holiday:

Students whose religious practices include observance of Good Friday should notify their professors in writing now, and should discuss with them, in advance, acceptable ways of making up any work missed because of the absence.

Faculty whose religious practices include observance of Good Friday should notify their department chair (or otherwise appropriate person within their department) and explain alternative accommodations that will be made for missing class, such as holding make-up class(es), a guest speaker(s), etc. (University Policy No. 7.22.)

Nonexempt employees who work Good Friday to support class delivery should record their hours worked, as usual, and will be compensated for the time worked as well as holiday pay.  Exempt employees who must work Good Friday to support class delivery should arrange with their supervisor for another time to recognize the holiday. Any employee asked to work the holiday to support class delivery will be granted the same sensitivity to religious tradition.

Revising Syllabi:

We ask faculty to amend their syllabi to reflect the make-up days and distribute the revised syllabi to all students via Canvas and to provide a copy to their department chairs or program directors. Chairs and directors are asked to retain these syllabi on file should they be needed for upcoming accreditation reviews and visits.

Good Friday, April 2: Make-up day for classes cancelled Tuesday, Feb. 16

Reading Day, Tuesday, May 4: Make-up day for classes cancelled Wednesday, Feb. 17

All classes on make-up days will take place virtually during the regularly scheduled synchronous times. Faculty may deliver remaining direct instruction through a variety of synchronous or asynchronous faculty options, using pre-recorded lectures, virtual discussion groups, etc.

As a reminder, faculty should not schedule exams or assignments to be completed on university reading days. It is particularly important that faculty who may have previously scheduled work to be completed on the readings days also revise their syllabi.

Exemptions: Professional graduate programs may need to make different adjustments as dictated by discipline, specific accreditors, calendar modules, and/or constraints on students working full-time. Please be reminded that end-of-term dates must not be altered as that could impact students’ federal financial aid. Deans are asked to notify the Office of the Provost along with all affected students as to specific make up plans.

Academic Support: OIT academic support staff will be available to answer the SMU Help Desk questions and to provide regular technical support on make-up days.

I want to thank each of you for working with us as we move forward to finish the semester. 

Sincerely,

Elizabeth G. Loboa

Provost and Vice President for

  Academic Affairs

Sigma Alpha Epsilon

• Damage: Repairing boiler cracked and repair is completed. 
• When the water was turned on we found cracked pipes which we are addressing.
• The Air Conditioning isn’t working and replacement is needed
• Next steps:
  • Expect students to be able to return the week of March 1

Beta Upsilon Chi – Resolved

• Some damage to common spaces are still being repaired.

Phi Delta Theta

• Damage: Repairing boiler cracked during the storm, and a timeline to return is in early March.
• Kitchen and dining areas open from 8:00am – 8:00pm each day.

Beta Theta Pi

• Damage: Sustained substantial water damage due to a failure in a HVAC pipe. The boiler needs repairs. Anticipate approximately a month to repair the damage and return students to the building. 

Sigma Phi Epsilon – Resolved

Alpha Epsilon Pi

• Damage: Sprinkler system is being replaced.  Anticipate approximately a month to replace.

Kappa Sigma – Resolved

• Laundry facilities still being addressed, but building is occupied.

Phi Gamma Delta – Resolved

Virginia Snider

• Damage: Flooding due to inclement weather. Anticipate clean-up will take about one week.
• Next steps:
  • Students on floors 2 and 3 may return to their rooms on Tuesday, February 23, but will need to leave any dehumidifiers running.  Contractors will return next week to repair cove base.
  • Students on floor 1 may return after 5:00pm on Wednesday, February 24, but will need to leave any dehumidifiers running.  Contractors will return next week to repair cove base.
  • Students on the ground floor can expect to return the week of March 1.

Service House – Resolved

Grad House – Resolved

Dear SMU Community,

We are grateful that the bitter winter blast is over and we are back to school with sunshine and milder temperatures outside. Our facilities team is working around the clock to restore damaged buildings and return the campus to normal.

Here is an update:

• The boil water notice that included SMU has been lifted. Please see SMU Aware for more information before drinking and using tap water again.
• Almost all students will return to the regular in-person and SMUFlex instruction beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Classes will follow the posted red/blue calendar rotation schedule, with Tuesday being a blue day. The exception to the return to SMUFlex are students who have classes in the Owen Arts Center, which will be virtual until Wednesday.
• Some Biology and Physics lab classes in Fondren Science will remain virtual until March 3. Those students will be notified by their professors. All other classes will be held in their regular classrooms.
• All campus facilities are returning to normal operation by tomorrow with the exception of Umphrey Lee Dining Commons, which is expected to reopen on Wednesday. In the meantime, Arnold Dining is open from 7 AM – 8 PM and will return to regular hours on Wednesday.
• Students who were relocated from campus housing, including University-owned chapter houses, will hear updates this week from Residence Life and Student Housing. Please refer to the information and timeline detailed in emails from RLSH and check SMU Aware for updates.
• Students experiencing on-going challenges as a result of last week’s weather or related damage should reach out for support by submitting a CCC request through the Office of Student Advocacy and Support.

Information about how SMU will make up the classroom hours missed during the winter storm will be forthcoming. Please continue to monitor SMUAware email, website, Twitter and Facebook for updates.

Boil Water Notice Lifted, Flush Lines Before Drinking

University Park has lifted the boil water notice that included SMU’s campus. Before drinking tap water again, please make sure to flush lines for 3 to 5 minutes.

Here are some other guidelines to follow before using water to brush teeth or prepare food.

• Faucets: Run for several minutes to flush any old water from the pipes.
• Water filtration systems: Replace the filter.
• Ice makers – Throw out old ice as well as the first batch of ice made after that.
• Dishwashers: Run the dishwasher through one cycle to flush out any old water.

For on-campus offices with kitchen areas or coffee suites, water filtration systems may need a new filter: Please work with your department to make sure it has been refreshed before using.

For more information and updates, please monitor SMUAware email, website, Twitter and Facebook.

The following buildings are open as of Monday, February 22: 

• All retail dining outlets in Hughes-Trigg Student Center will be open as of Monday for their normal operating hours. 
• The SMU Post Office in Hughes-Trigg will be open and operating a under normal hours as of Monday. 
• The child care center, book store, retail outlets, and the Dr. Bob Smith Health Center will be open as usual on Monday. 
• Dedman Rec Center will be open

Friday, February 19, 2021 Dear SMU students, faculty, staff and families, With the sun out today and the snow beginning to melt, I want to thank you all for your hard work, tenacity and patience as we have worked our way through this mammoth winter weather event. Things will begin to get back to normal on Monday when we resume classes, virtually, and decide how classes will be delivered on Tuesday and the rest of the week.  The campus fared much better than many in Dallas and throughout Texas, but it has been a tough time for all Mustangs, including the 251 students living on the Hilltop who had to relocate when bursting pipes and other weather-related issues forced us to find them other temporary accommodations. We know our faculty, staff and students living off-campus have had their own issues with lack of heat, bursting pipes and flooding, only compounded on and off campus when dropping water pressure prompted us to follow a “boil water” mandate. Our essential staff members have done heroic round-the-clock work to keep our on-campus students warm, dry and fed. Many of them caught what sleep they could on campus or in nearby hotels to accomplish that important work. They worked to procure and stage thousands of bottles of hard-to-find water for students after the “boil water” order was issued, and the SMU Moms and Dads Club stepped up to make water and snacks available. Essential workers also opened and staffed Hughes-Trigg Student Center as a warming and charge-up station, which we knew would be important for our off-campus students.  We owe them all our heartfelt thanks for enduring long hours and bitter cold to help get us through this and should recognize that there is still a great deal more hard work for them to do next week and beyond. The University is prioritizing repairs to our on-campus student housing to allow students to move back to their own rooms as quickly as possible and pushing hard to re-open weather-impacted classroom spaces. Students will be notified when to expect housing and buildings to come back on line and we will provide them with support until they do. I know I can count on your continued patience as the thaw likely reveals more infrastructure problems that were previously hidden by the cold and snow.  Check SMU Aware for the latest information and continue to monitor SMU Aware email and SMU Twitter and Facebook for updates. Please continue to look out for each other as we get back to the business of teaching and learning.  We can all be reassured that in tough times, Mustangs always “Pony Up.”    R. Gerald Turner President

As we work to reopen our campus, we wanted to update you on what to expect over the next few days.

The following facilities will be open this weekend during these specified times:

FOOD

·       Arnold Dining Commons, 7 AM – 8 PM

·       The Market in Hughes-Trigg Student Center, Noon – 5 PM

(Supply chain demands will impact the ability to restock this weekend)

RECREATION

·       Dedman Center for Lifetime Sports,

o   Saturday 11 AM – 2 PM and 3 PM – 5:30 PM,

o   Sunday 1 PM – 4 PM, 4:30 PM ­– 7:30 PM, and 8 PM – 10 PM

·       Hughes-Trigg Student Center – Saturday and Sunday, Noon – 9 PM

LIBRARIES

·       Fondren Library, Sunday 10 AM ­– 6 PM, Monday 7:30 AM – 6 PM

·       Underwood Law Library, Sunday Noon ­– 6PM, Monday 7:30 AM ­– 6 PM

OTHER CAMPUS FACILTIES

·       SMU Bookstore, 8:30 AM – 5PM

·       Dr. Bob Smith Health Center is closed for the weekend

·       SMU Post Office , Saturday, February, 20, from Noon to 5 p.m.

Classes will resume on Monday with virtual instruction. More on instruction modes for the rest of the week to come on Monday.

We are grateful to be returning to classes and normal operations on campus, but the aftermath of this severe weather may have some lingering impacts. Please continue to monitor SMU Aware email, website, Twitter and Facebook for updates.

 As you may know, as a result of the inclement weather, a pipe burst last night in Virginia-Snider (VS) Commons on the Snider side of the building just before 8 p.m. Thursday. This message is to let you know about our response and what students can expect moving forward in terms of our communication with them.

The pipe that burst triggered the emergency alarm, and we were required to evacuate the building. The, live-in staff member, Residential Community Director (RCD) for VS was on site when the break occurred, and University Park Fire Department, SMU Police Department, and SMU Facilities arrived within minutes. Because of the cold temperatures, we had previously made arrangements to have indoor evacuation sites available. Students were evacuated to the Hughes-Trigg Student Center (HTSC).  We had three Residence Life and Student Housing (RLSH) staff members there to help.

Our facilities’ teams assessed the damages, blocked off the affected area and quickly began cleanup. The water leak affected 18 rooms/suites that house 46 of the 238 VS residents. We sent a text message to those 46 students who needed to be relocated with instructions on how to receive a temporary room assignment and gather their needed belongings. Students were also given the option to stay with a friend for the night. 

We then sent an email to all VS Commons residents notifying them that they could return to the building.  We gave instructions around ingress and egress and how to avoid the affected areas. Staff members stationed in HTSC also communicated in person with students that they could return to the building. The evacuation lasted less than 3 hours.  Staff members greeted students upon their return to help them with instructions.   

A restoration company is on campus today to do more extensive clean up, water extraction and drying of the impacted areas. The affected students will receive additional communication today to address how to retrieve needed belongings and other temporary housing questions.  We believe that repairs will take less than a week and are working to have the 46 displaced students return to their rooms as soon as possible and will touch base frequently with an updated timeline. Some repairs may be completed after they are back in the rooms. Other students remaining in the building are using a different entrance or exit to the building in order to avoid wet areas. 

I am truly proud of our team’s response. At a time when resources including staffing are in high demand and many are dealing with the weathers’ ill effects at their own homes, SMU continues to place the highest priority on the safety of our students. Please do not hesitate to reach out should you have any questions and I will do my best to answer them in a timely fashion. I appreciate your patience and understanding as we continue to work through repairs in the days ahead.

Sincerely, Melinda P. Carlson
Assistant Vice President and Dean
Residence Life & Student Housing
Division of Student Affairs

February 19, 2021

 

Dear SMU Staff Members,

 

I hope you and your families have safely weathered this unusual winter blast. We have heard from many of you about days without heat or internet access, as well as frozen or ruptured water lines, boil water orders, dangerous roads and other weather-related problems. It’s been a long, tough week. If your family continues to be in need of critical services or supplies, please call 211 for assistance from the state of Texas, or reach out to Human Resources if we can help.

 

SMU has been coordinating efforts to support our students during this unusual cold snap and its resulting damages to buildings, including relocations of students living on campus. The University is fortunate to have dedicated essential workers who reported to campus daily and worked into the night to keep us going through this emergency. Many have stayed in nearby hotels and grabbed food wherever possible to be here for troubleshooting and repair of facilities and technology issues. A big thank you to them as they continue that round-the-clock triage and response for at least the next week.

 

As you read in this morning’s SMU Aware email, we are resuming operations with virtual-only classes on Monday. A decision will also be made that day on which academic instruction modes will be used the rest of the week.   With campus reopening, all staff should plan to return to work as usual on Monday.  Some buildings sustained damage related to the weather so if you work in one of those buildings, you will be notified by your building manager. They’ll explain what to do.  If you don’t hear from your building manager, your workspace was not impacted and is ready to be occupied on Monday.

 

We are grateful to be returning to campus, but recognize that it will take a while to recover from this unprecedented winter weather so please be flexible and patient as we deal with the lingering aftermath. You can check SMU Aware for the latest information and continue to monitor SMU Aware email, Twitter and Facebook for updates.

 

Stay warm, safe and Mustang Strong,

 

Sheri Starkey

Associate Vice President & Chief Human Resource Officer