Franklin & Marshall College

After assessing the security of facilities and infrastructure after Hurricane Sandy, Franklin & Marshall College officials have identified a number of facilities to reopen Tuesday, Oct. 30. The College sustained minimal adverse effects from Hurricane Sandy and will resume all normal operations Wednesday, Oct. 31.

Administrative offices will remain closed today and will reopen tomorrow, and classes are not in session until Wednesday, but the College is opening the following facilities and commencing the following operations to provide resources to students Tuesday:

• The Alumni Sports & Fitness Center (ASFC) will open at 1 p.m.
• Appel Health Services will open at 1 p.m.
• The Innovation Zone multimedia learning center will reopen at 1 p.m.
• Mayser Gymnasium will open at 1 p.m.
• Martin Library of the Sciences will be open from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
• Pandini's eatery in the Steinman College Center will reopen at 5 p.m.
• Shadek-Fackenthal Library will be open from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Steinman College Center will reopen at 1 p.m.
• Shuttle service will begin at 2 p.m., including stops at the dining hall.

In addition, athletics team practices can begin, starting at 4:30 p.m. Athletics teams will learn directly from their coaches whether practices will resume at 4:30, though these practices may be on an optional basis, recognizing that some student-athletes may not have returned to the area during the storm.

All students continue to be encouraged to check email regularly and other modes of communication for notices from their instructors about preparation for the resumption of classes beginning Wednesday.

According to the National Weather Service, the weather conditions in Lancaster County have been downgraded to a wind advisory that is in effect until noon today. Post-tropical Cyclone Sandy was moving westward across southern Pennsylvania as of 5 a.m. Oct. 30. Flood watches continue to be in effect throughout the region.

In the wake of the storm, the College's main dining hall remains open to provide meal service for all students with an F&M ID through 8 p.m. Tuesday, regardless of whether students have a meal contract. Pandini's and Steinman College Center will operate with meal plans and other payments as usual.

The campus is largely passable, and facilities staff members continue to clear branches and tree limbs from pathways. F&M did not lose power during the storm.

Members of the staff of the Dean of the College were assigned to the College Houses throughout the storm to be a ready resource for students, and dining services staff remained on hand to provide meal service.

The F&M home page, www.fandm.edu, continues to be the primary source for general information in the aftermath of the storm, and campus opening and closing information also is available on the College's Emergency Weather Line at 717-291-4003. The College will continue to provide basic information via F&M's Facebook page and Twitter feed.

Campus community members also can receive text messages from the F&M Emergency Alert system. To sign up, visit http://www.fandm.edu/emergencyalert.

Employees will receive guidance from their supervisors about reporting to work for facilities opening Tuesday.

In the event of a power failure

While the campus has not lost power up to this point, roving outages have been reported in the area in the wake of the storm. All core campus residential buildings have auxiliary power, but other residential buildings do not. In the event of a loss of power, students should follow this guidance:

• Use caution within your residence and on the stairs, as lighting will be minimal.
• Do not open your refrigerator or freezer; this will keep items cold and frozen.
• Do not use candles or any other open flame as a light or heat source.
• Carefully unplug carbon monoxide detectors in your residence and remove the battery if they start beeping (remove the panel located on the back of the unit to access the battery).
• If power fails and then is restored, please allow about two hours for the hot water, cooling and any elevators to be operational. These systems take some time to restart.
• FOBs will not work in the event of a power outage for buildings without auxiliary power. In the event this occurs, the College will assess the need to arrange for staff to be stationed around campus for assistance. Locations will be specified in updates to emergency announcements posted on the home page.

F&M maintains an Emergency Preparation Guidelines website at www.fandm.edu/prepare. The College's Office of Human Resources also maintains a weather emergencies page for employees.

More information about Hurricane Sandy is available on the National Hurricane Center website.