Icy weather tests crisis management
Icy roads and freezing conditions caused Rice’s Crisis Management Team to shut down the university Wednesday until noon. A statement issued by the university Wednesday morning announced that only essential personnel were required to report to work at their normal times.
CMT Chair Kevin Kirby said the team met by conference call Tuesday morning and Wednesday morning at 6 a.m. to discuss the threat of ice. The CMT monitored weather, traffic and police reports, as well as local school districts, to decide whether or not to close the university. Members of the team include Police Chief Bill Taylor, Provost Eugene Levy, Dean of Undergraduates Robin Forman and Director of Housing and Dining Mark Ditman.
Although conditions in Rice’s immediate area were not dangerous, Kirby, the Vice President for Administration, said many employees commute long distances, some from areas north of the university. The CMT decided to delay the university’s opening because many traffic accidents were reported on roads north of the Rice area.
“Road conditions were unpredictable,” Kirby said. “[You] could go along and be fine and all of a sudden hit a patch of ice, particularly north [of here]. We decided to [delay opening] until noon to be more on the safe side.”
The CMT posted its announcement on the Rice Web site, sent an e-mail to the ALLDEPTS and PRES-FAC listservs, and left a voicemail message with each student on campus. Students received e-mails forwarded by their respective college coordinators and masters.
Forman said Rice’s preparation for Hurricane Rita in 2005 raised concerns about the university’s ability to communicate emergency information to students.
“We sometimes don’t have as efficient a way to contact students as we might need,” Forman said. “For example, some phone messages went out to Rice phone numbers, but probably the majority of Rice students don’t use their room phone — a subject that deserves further consideration.”
Forman said he did not see any students reporting for morning classes, although he knew of some graduate students who showed up before noon, unaware of the shutdown. There are currently no plans to make up canceled classes, but faculty members may choose to reschedule classes on an individual basis, Forman said.
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