The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Alert for New England. The pending storm is expected to bring up to a foot or more of snow to the Berkshires. For more information from the National Weather Service about this storm, see weather.gov.

In anticipation of the storm, please note the following:

Power

In anticipation of a possible power outage, the Physical Plant will switch the campus over to our back-up generator between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m. Friday. The generator is capable of powering all of lower campus, but power will be out for approximately one hour during the switch. This will not impact upper campus.

Please note: electric alarm clocks will be affected, so please plan accordingly. During the switchover, elevators will not work, so be sure to use stairs during this time period. Missing class because of this power outage is not an excused absence. Information Technology Services (ITS) recommends that you fully charge your computers and telephones in advance of the storm, and that you back up all important work.

We will switch back to regular electric service Saturday, between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. This will result in another one hour power outage on campus. Again, please plan accordingly.

College Operations

Classes will be held as scheduled on Friday, February 8, 2013, unless cancelled by the individual faculty member. Notification of class cancellations will be posted in the Library, Academic Affairs, the bulletin board outside the Dining Hall, and on residence hall exterior doors.

The Kilpatrick Athletic Center will open at 9 a.m. on Friday 2/8. On Saturday, 2/9, the KAC will open at 12:00 p.m. (noon).

The College plans to close Friday at 5:00 p.m.

• Alumni Library will be closed at 5:00 p.m.
• Kilpatrick Athletic Center will be closed at 5:00 p.m.

The College will re-open and activities will resume at 12:00 p.m. (noon) Saturday.

Dining Services

Roads, Sidewalks and Physical Plant Staff

The Physical Plant and Housekeeping work around the clock to keep the campus open and safe, but roads and sidewalks on and off campus may be dangerous. Clearing roads and sidewalks is very hard and time-consuming work. The staff work long and odd hours to do this work, so help them out by doing the following:

• Park your car and leave it until the storm is over
• Do not park in the Student Union lot (between SU and Hill House)
• Do not park on the Dining Hall side of the lower campus lot
• Be careful walking around campus, and do so in appropriate clothing and shoes to avoid getting hurt
• If you must drive, do so slowly and carefully

Fox Run – The road to upper campus will be closed to through traffic. Only Security, Physical Plant, and other staff are allowed on the road from 9:00 a.m. Friday through 12:00 p.m. (noon) on Saturday. Sorry for the inconvenience, but please stay off the road when it’s closed.

Security, Fire Safety, Etc.

This is a serious winter storm that will tax our campus and local fire and emergency service providers, so please make an extra effort to ensure your own safety and that of others.

As always, if you have concerns about your own or anyone else’s safety, or if you see someone contributing to an unsafe situation, contact Security immediately, x7291.

Updates

This information was last updated at 9:47 a.m. on Friday, February 8, 2013, and will be updated as needed.