On Sunday, Jan. 24, UMBC announced that campus will be closed Saturday the 23 and Sunday the 24. Furthermore, the move-in date for residents will be postponed to January 26 at noon and the first day of the spring semester will be postponed to Wednesday, Jan. 27 as a safety measure in order to prepare for the snowstorm that is threatening much of the Northeast.

This ensures that roadways, parking lots and sidewalks are cleared to the best of our ability while new and returning students move in. Many students have agreed that this is a smart move, as the blizzard will make moving in at the regular time both dangerous and slow, as there will be heavy traffic.

Moreover, more than 6,000 U.S. flights — including over 2,800 on Friday and nearly 3,200 on Saturday — have been canceled as the country battles this massive winter storm. This makes it difficult for many out-of-state students to get to the university on time, so the delay has proven to be beneficial.

However, some students may be negatively affected by the delay. Leland Resfield, a freshman studying biochemistry from Smithtown, New York mentioned his problem with the new move-in date. “I noticed that move-in day got postponed to the 25. My flight is on the 24, so if I can’t change my flight, then I may have a problem,” he said.

UMBC has advised students that stay on campus for the storm to prepare for hazardous conditions and unexpected events such as power outages and refer to the following emergency resource web sites for personal emergency preparedness: www.fema.gov and www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster.  They recommend students go home for the weekend due to limited services on campus. If a student decides to stay on campus, they are required to move their cars to the Walker Avenue, Commons and Administration parking garages to allow snow crews to clear parking lots and the loop.

Additionally, UMBC has encouraged students currently residing on campus to stock up on essential needs. “While True Grit’s will be open on Saturday (Brunch- 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., Dinner- 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.), Sunday (Dinner – 4:30 p.m. 8 p.m.) and Monday (normal schedule), it may be difficult to maneuver through the snow,” stated Reslife via email.

UMBC Transit’s routes will not be running through Tuesday, with normal operation resuming Wednesday.

UMBC is taking many measures in order to ensure the safety of faculty, staff and students. Rusty Postlewate, assistant vice president, facilities management, said, “We have made preparations to have supplies available (salt for roads/lots & calcium for walkways) and have arranged to have personnel and equipment come in tonight from three companies to assist with the snow removal efforts. The clearing will begin on the night of January 22 and continue non-stop in an effort to stay up with the snowfall (particularly difficult with the anticipated high winds, which will cause re-covering of cleared areas and drifting). It will be a long weekend.”

If students or faculty want to keep up with any significant updates for this storm or for inclement weather in the future, please visit www.umbc.edu/reslife.

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