UNIVERSITY CLOSED MONDAY

By John Michael Cuccia     9/11/08 7:00pm

In an e-mail sent at 7:15 p.m. today, Dr. Robin Forman, Dean of Undergraduates, announced that Rice would extend its closure through Monday."In recognition of the work that remains to be done, both as an institution and as individuals, to get things back on track, we have decided that the university will be closed on Monday, and we plan on reopening on Tuesday," Forman said.

In an earlier email, Forman encouraged students to "exercise extreme caution," as the quarantine was lifted, allowing students to venture outside and back to their college rooms.

Off-campus and graduate students can still take shelter on-campus and can eat free of charge.

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While Mayor Bill White announced that the city's water pumps had their power sources restored and that the pressure in the city's water pump system would return to normal by this evening, Rice and other areas within the 610 Loop are experiencing low water pressure or no water at all.

Forman, as well as college masters and college presidents, have repeatedly encouraged their colleges to conserve as much water as possible until water service is restored to full capacity.

"As one consequence of the water shortage, we all must be extremely careful about fire safety," Forman said. "If you smell something burning, or see smoke, please report it immediately."

Finally, Forman said that colleges would be receiving information about assisting Facilities, Enginerring & Planning in gathering up some of the smaller garbage and debris in college quads and common areas.

"This would be extremely helpful," Forman said. "We will soon get you a short list of guidelines for how to do this safely and productively."

Students who left campus are asked not to return until noon on Monday. Alcohol is still banned from campus until further notice. Entrance 8 is the only gate open to traffic; all other entrance gates remain closed.

University officials encourage all students, faculty, and staff to check rice.edu for continued updates and to avoid calling the Rice University Police Department for generic updates and information.

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