November, 1999

To Students living in University Residence Halls:

The extra special character of the upcoming New Year’s Eve celebration will obviously be an enticement to many of you to remain in New York for the celebration. While all residence halls will be open through the Winter Break, we urge you not to make campus your home base for the celebration. We have made extensive preparations for the transition and expect no major problems, but despite this planning, we do not know what inconveniences might arise. Should we have any interruption of utility service it would be best to have as few people on campus as possible.

We ask that those of you who do intend to stay on campus over New Year’s weekend register your intention by signing up with your Resident Adviser during the week after Thanksgiving. Students who will be on campus that weekend should be aware of the following protocols to be instituted on December 30, 1999.

  1. Students will be asked to sign-in when entering Residence Halls, in addition to the usual card swipe. This will ensure that we know where individuals are located in the event of an emergency.
  2. A maximum of one (1) guest will be permitted each resident student for the period December 30-January 2. If we encounter no problems, the usual guest sign-in process will be resumed on Monday, January 3. We are sorry to institute this restriction, but if there is an emergency we will have limited services to provide to those who are in the halls.

We have been working closely with Facilities Management and the utility companies that service the campus and our Morningside Heights neighborhood. We do not expect any interruptions in utilities, but contingency plans are in place should there be a loss of electrical power, water service, heat, or other problems affecting life in the Residence Halls. Students will be expected to comply with all aspects of the contingency plan. Students who choose to remain on campus over the New Year’s weekend should prepare by having the following supplies on hand:

  1. Extra blankets and/or sleeping bags
  2. Flashlights with extra batteries – No candles will be allowed in the residence halls
  3. Bottled water
  4. Food that doesn’t require cooking or refrigeration

Should you remain with us for the holiday, please take these pointers and procedures seriously. They will insure you a maximum degree of safety and comfort should problems arise. If you remain with family and friends elsewhere, we hope you will enjoy yourselves safely. In either event, we hope that the upcoming holiday season is a joyful and restorative one for all of you.

Sincerely yours,

D. Ross Fraser Brian Paquette

Director of University Residence Halls Director of Residential Programs