Before, During, and After the Storm
Dear Faculty and Staff,
I am hopeful that you, your families and your property weathered Hurricane Isaac with little or no damage. While most of Acadiana was spared the disastrous impact of Hurricane Isaac, many of our neighbors in southeastern Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast were not so lucky. There are many families, including those of some of our students, who will be cleaning up and working to get their lives and property back to normal. If you have co-workers and students in this situation, I thank you in advance for being as understanding and accommodating as you can.
Storms, like other unexpected events, can challenge a campus community. How well we work together in stressful situations, how quickly we can make decisions with little or rapidly changing information, and how we care for our students and property before, during and after the storm are put to the test. On all accounts, our faculty, staff and students passed this test and I am impressed by your professionalism and teamwork.
As you know, the university is now home to many more students as a result of the additional new residence halls. Approximately 1,400 students remained on campus throughout the storm. Safeguarding and providing for students took a tremendous amount of effort on the part of many. The sense of camaraderie that I witnessed as I visited the halls was proof that the efforts of our staff was greatly appreciated. The “residential community” that we’ve envisioned for our students was certainly apparent during Hurricane Isaac.
There is a core group of men and women – staff and students – who work behind the scenes during events like this. Joey Pons, our campus safety director, and Joey Sturm, our university police chief, coordinated the efforts of employees from the following departments who were on duty during this closure: Academic Affairs, Communications and Marketing, Facilities Management, Food Services, Housing, New Iberia Research Center, Parking and Transit, Student Affairs, Student Life and Conduct, Student Health Services, the Union, and University Police. The work of this group enables everyone else to tend to their own homes, families and neighbors. On behalf of the entire campus, I thank them for their dedication and service.
Classes resume tomorrow and the campus should quickly be back to normal. I look forward to seeing you at our first home football game Saturday, September 1, at 6 p.m., when the Ragin’ Cajuns host the Lamar Cardinals. Remember … Wear RED!
Best wishes for a safe and relaxing Labor Day holiday.
Sincerely,
E. Joseph Savoie
President
president@louisiana.edu