Hurricane Sandy hit the New York coast last week, leaving millions without power and claiming 90 lives and counting across the Tri-State area.
“During the past 48 hours, we have all witnessed the devastating impact of Hurricane Sandy as it barreled its way up the Eastern Seaboard of the United States, leaving floods, fires, and widespread power outages in its wake. Pace is fortunate to have come through the height of the storm with no known injuries and minimal damage to University facilities,” said President Friedman in a University-wide email sent out Tues.
“While the University has come through relatively unscathed, I want to express my concern for the extended Pace family of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and parents living throughout New York, the Tri-State area, and other regions affected by the hurricane,” he continued. “I encourage you to keep in touch with your Pace colleagues, supervisors, and friends about conditions in your area and any assistance you may need.”
No Pace students, faculty, or staff were injured during the storm. The Westchester campus was closed from Mon. through Tues. Administrative offices reopened on Wed., but classes did not resume until Thurs. However, with commuters making up nearly half of the student body, student outturn was minimal. By Thurs, the Westchester campus had, for the most part, returned to normal. Only telephone and email services were still experiencing difficulties.
SDCA received an outpouring of students wanting to volunteer in wake of the devastation.
“There are many requests from students on how they can help those in need due to the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy,” SDCA said in an email on Thurs. “In the coming weeks, there will be an increased need for hands-on volunteers to staff shelters, hand out food and clothing at distribution centers, and work to clean up/rebuild entire towns. When we get word of local organizations looking for volunteers, we will be sure to pass that information on to you. If you know of any other ways to provide assistance, please contact [email protected] with the information.”
“If you are a student organization who would like to host fundraisers or donations, please visit Student Development & Campus Activities (Kessel Student Center) – but please understand physical donations (clothes, etc) will take some time to identify organizations and transport options,” the email continued.
Some important dates have been changed due to the storm. Registration for Spring classes will now begin on Nov. 26.