Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson sent this message to parents and families of students Wednesday night.

Dear Rice Parents and Families:

Today has been quiet at Rice, even as our fellow Texans and our neighbors in Louisiana are being punished by this relentless storm. Here at home, Houstonians are digging out and beginning the rebuilding process as the flood waters recede. This is an amazing city. I hope you are reading some of the inspiring stories of heroism, selflessness, generosity and community service that are happening all around us.

I write with two messages this evening.

First, a few of you have written to ask questions about whether to come to Houston to get your students. Of course, you can do so, and our students do not need permission to leave. But I do have some advice:

- We do not need your students to leave. To the contrary, we are happy to have them here with us. We are providing for them well. Of course, I understand your strong desire to see your sons and daughters again after this storm, and I would never second guess the love of a parent. I just do not want you to feel that you should come because you think Rice needs you to pick your students up.

- We have many activities planned for students who are here. The College magisters are launching a lecture series for students tomorrow, the Lyceum Lectures (https://www.facebook.com/events/1933836173532079/). In addition, we are creating service learning opportunities for our students who are volunteering in Houston (more on this later). The recreation center and library have been open and popular. And, surprisingly, the weather is now nice. Today was the third coolest Aug. 30th in Houston’s history.

- If you do plan to come, you may find the highways difficult. We recommend that you study Houston TranStar (http://www.houstontranstar.org/) to see traffic conditions, road closures, etc. Rice University Police Chief James Tate has compiled some of the ways you might get through Houston to Rice if you can make it to town. I will post those separately in a comment on this post.

- Please understand what you will find when you get to Houston. There is a curfew from midnight to 5 a.m., and people have been stopped and arrested for being out and about during that time. There are probably no hotel rooms anywhere, though I haven’t looked. You won’t be able to dine with us at Rice, as we are carefully conserving food supplies for our students. There are open restaurants, but only for reduced hours in most cases. Grocery stores have long lines. All in all, you’ll be in for a long day, probably a round trip. Be safe! And remember, your son or daughter on campus is very safe.

- If you do come, you can certainly bring supplies. I would recommend helping us restock our health items, including bandages, cold packs, ibuprofen, Claritin and hand sanitizer. You could also bring material donations to help Rice staff living in temporary housing who are in need of bedding and toiletries. Finally, clearly our students would appreciate snack foods to keep in their rooms, since our late night Hoot is not operating.

Second, a few of you have asked what Rice is doing to help students volunteer in the community. Many, many students took the initiative on their own quite quickly, so many that we needed to get them organized. Today, Rice has launched the Rice Harvey Action Team (R-HAT) as an efficient way for students to sign up for volunteer opportunities. This program is a partnership of the Student Association, the Graduate Student Association, the Center for Civic Leadership and the Doerr Institute for New Leaders. Through these offices, Rice is identifying where the needs in the community are and then identifying students who have volunteered through R-HAT to help. We encourage all students who wish to volunteer to go through this portal, rather than working individually, as we can best support our students’ efforts when they are coordinated. .

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Rice fund specifically for members of our community who have lost so much from this storm. If you are interested, there is a link on emergency.rice.edu for "Rice Hurricane Relief Fund," which can also be directly accessed here: https://online.alumni.rice.edu/default.aspx?page=GIVEUserGift. Please spread the word! And thank you!

Best wishes,
Dean Hutch