Dean of Undergraduates John Hutchinson sent this message to students Sunday night.

Dear Students:

Paula and I continue to be impressed, pleased, excited and gratified by your exceptional response to the challenges presented by this unprecedented storm. As we walk through the colleges, people are socializing, studying, playing games, playing music and just generally taking the chance to spend time together. Some of you are volunteering in the kitchens and in the commons. Everyone is showing their appreciation for the incredible effort being exerted by the staffs of Housing & Dining and of Facilities. Rice has proven itself again to be a truly exceptional community!

I do want to emphasize a few things. First, this event is not over. Continue to exercise caution in all activities, and make smart choices. Cleanliness and hygiene are extremely important to prevent the spread of infection, so wash frequently and use hand sanitizer!

Second, for those of you on campus, Rice has been incredibly fortunate. The relative comfort that we have here might make us forget that we live in the middle of an enormous city which is still in a developing state of increasing crisis. People are losing homes and struggling to reach medical care and basic necessities. As such, please understand that the support services on which Rice depends are now being deployed to help those most in need. The resources that we often take for granted may be in limited supply. If we reach a point of shortages or equipment failures or accessibility issues, please keep in mind that we are very fortunate to be where we are and to have what we have. Take care not to waste food or supplies, taking only what you need so that we can stretch what we have over more days.

Third, I know that there was confusion last night and this morning about the emergency shelter notifications, so I would like to provide some clarification. Be aware that the shelter in place guidelines during an active hurricane are different than those for a tornado. Given that we remain under a tornado watch, it is important to understand that a tornado warning conveys an imminent threat and that a tornado has been sighted nearby. When we ask you to seek shelter, you should shelter in an appropriate location in whatever building you are in at the time. This means an interior room or hallway, away from doors, windows, or (if possible) exterior walls. If you are near the designated areas listed on emergency.rice.edu/baras and can access one of those spaces without going outside, do so. Otherwise, find the space in the building where you are located which meets the conditions just described – again, without going outside. The college commons are not appropriate locations in a tornado warning. Remain sheltered until we are able to give an all clear. If you received the city alerts on your phone prior to the Rice alerts, both are telling you the same thing. Do not assume that the tornado warning doesn’t apply to you just because you haven’t received the Rice alert yet.

We will all get through this together, stronger from the experience even if we would have preferred not to be part of an unprecedented storm. Keep in mind those who are struggling, and take care of each other at all times.

Best wishes,
Dean Hutch