October 28, 2020
Dear Tulane Community:
I wanted to send you a note as we await the approach of Hurricane Zeta together. I am confident that we have completed all the necessary preparations to keep our campus community safe and our facilities secure. Please take precautions to protect your own safety, including remaining indoors today, especially during the peak hours of the storm – between 4 – 9 p.m.
I was able to visit The Commons and LBC earlier today before they closed for the storm. It was wonderful, as always, to see our students, and the staff who have remained on campus to make sure our students are well-fed before sheltering-in-place. If I didn’t get to greet you personally at the Commons or LBC, know that all of you are constantly on my mind as we face the seventh storm threat of this season.
I especially think about our first-year students (and parents) who are experiencing a freshman year far different from the one they imagined with severe weather and other stressors on top of the demands of studies. These are the times during which all of us – students, faculty, staff and administrators – need to come together, even if we are socially distanced, and remember the bonds and strength of our community. We are resilient, we are united, we are friends and we are family.
We are also fortunate that Zeta is a fast-moving storm, which should allow us to resume normal operations and classes on Thursday and welcome sunnier days ahead. Please remain focused on keeping yourselves and others safe. “Not for one’s self, but for one’s own,” is a good motto for all kinds of weather.
