It’s a beautiful day today!  Clear blue skies and cool dry air.  Quite the contrast from yesterday’s wet and windy weather, when Hurricane Irene blew through.  The campus seems to have escaped with not much more than downed tree branches.  With clean-up already underway, the storm will soon be just a memory.

The timing for the storm was definitely sub-optimal for Fletcher, but despite canceled flights and suspended train service, a remarkable number of new students managed to make their way into town.  Info packets in hand, they streamed into ASEAN Auditorium at 9:00, and are now midway through their first morning of Orientation.  I’ve heard that about 40 would-be-Orientees have contacted the Registrar’s Office to say they’ll arrive late because of storm delays.  I hope that most will be at Fletcher within the next day or so — Orientation is a time to gather nuts-and-bolts information about the School, but it’s also a great opportunity to meet classmates and start the academic year feeling like part of a community.

Posted by Jessica Daniels on 29 Aug 2011 No Comments »

One last thought before the weekend.  If you’re on the East Coast of the U.S., you already know we’re due to receive a visit from Hurricane Irene.  Though the exact path and impact of the storm are still unclear, travel on Sunday will almost surely be disrupted, and some students will arrive later than they originally planned.

Based on this morning’s weather forecast, the storm will have passed before Monday, and Orientation will go on.  Of course, the program will make all needed adjustments if a significant number of students weren’t able to reach Boston over the weekend.

Meanwhile, if there’s any question whether the University will be closed on Monday, you can check the Tufts web page for emergency closings, or call 617/627-4636 for information.  Most important, please be careful in planning your travel — we want you to arrive safely!

Posted by Jessica Daniels on 26 Aug 2011 No Comments »