The University of Mississippi announced its closure for an additional week in a campus-wide alert on Wednesday, Jan. 28, citing the extreme impact and ongoing recovery efforts from Winter Storm Fern. All classes, events and academic activities are canceled through Sunday, Feb. 8.
Provost Noel Wilkin announced in an email on Wednesday, Jan. 28 that assignment due dates, financial aid refunds, attendance verification and the course add/drop date will be postponed until the university reopens.
Current conditions on campus render travel across campus and the use of various buildings unsafe until necessary repairs are completed. In a statement posted on X and in an email to the university community, Chancellor Glenn Boyce stressed the severity of the ice storm’s effects on the campus and Oxford communities.
“The people of our city and county, including thousands of students and employees, are facing the loss of power and water, internet and cellular connectivity issues and intermittent access to food and fuel,” Boyce said in the statement. “Conditions remain hazardous with ice on roads and walkways, inoperable stop lights, downed trees and power lines as well as falling ice as temperatures fluctuate.”
The university advised members of the UM community to check weather and road conditions before traveling in the local area. Those currently off-campus or not in the local area are still discouraged from returning to campus at this time to avoid interference with recovery efforts.
Academic adjustments
The university is requiring instructors to be flexible and adjust deadlines to meet what is an extended power outage and impact on infrastructure.
In his email, Wilkin detailed that zeros assigned by Blackboard for missed due dates during the university’s closure will be manually readjusted when campus reopens, easing students’ academic concerns.
“Many faculty are not able to get to the internet or system to adjust the due dates,” Wilkin said in the email. “Therefore, zeros automatically assigned by the Blackboard system will have to be corrected once we reopen and faculty are able to get internet access sufficient to use Blackboard.”
Additionally, the provost’s office pushed the attendance verification deadline to follow students’ return to campus.
“In the meantime, if students need financial aid disbursement before this date, and their attendance has not been verified, we are creating a way for them to get in touch,” Wilkin said. “Those students who have not been verified will be contacted directly with this information.”
Because the university cannot send financial aid disbursement checks by mail during the campus closure, students who were not already enrolled for direct deposit prior to the shutdown will not receive a check until the financial aid office reopens.
Further, the course add/drop date will now be scheduled seven days after the date that the university reopens. If no additional delays occur, the new course add/drop date will be Feb. 15.
What’s open?
Open buildings on campus include the Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union, which will continue to serve as a warming center for UM students and employees and offers overnight access. Rebel Market is also open for food service from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, providing meals free of charge and meal swipe.
The university also announced that P.O.D. (Provisions on Demand) locations at Stockard-Martin Hall and Crosby Hall should open Thursday, Jan. 29 pending food deliveries. Food trucks G&G’s Fry Co. and Munchies Chicken and Waffles will continue to remain open frequently the campus closure, as well.
PakMail will also open on campus tomorrow, Jan. 29 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Next week, the Ole Miss Bookstore will be open Feb. 2 through Feb. 6 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., according to a post on its Instagram page.
Off-campus, the Oxford School District will provide free community meals daily at Oxford Middle School from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., including weekends, with power and water available.
Oxford-University Transit buses have resumed, offering limited services between the majority of the university’s master lease location to the student union and to Walmart. Buses are running on a continuous loop from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at these locations, with schedule updates posted on the OUT Instagram page.
Athletic events affected by the campus closure include the Ole Miss Women’s Basketball game against Vanderbilt on Friday, Jan. 30 at 2 p.m., which has been moved from Oxford to Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
The women’s basketball game versus Auburn was moved to Monday, Feb. 2 at 6 p.m. at the SJB Pavilion, but no further updates have been announced at the time of publication since the university extended its closure.
The Ole Miss Men’s Golf schedule will be adjusted slightly. The Thomas Sharkey Individual Collegiate, originally set for this weekend at Georgia Southern, has been moved to Feb. 7-8.
Lights out. Faucets off.
Oxford mayor Robyn Tannehill announced in a recorded video message at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 28 that the city’s water stabilization issue, potentially caused by increased usage from dripping faucets, has not improved. Areas with water supply suspended yesterday will not be reconnected, and additional subdivisions will be temporarily suspended.
Suspensions will affect residents along Windsor Falls Boulevard, South Oaks subdivision, Whippoorwill Lane, South Grove subdivision and Pea Ridge Road. All developments on Oxford Way and additional locations on Old Taylor Road will be temporarily suspended from the city’s water supply, including The Domain, The Reserve, Stillwater, The Azul Apartment Homes, Taylor Bend, The Mill, The Archive and others.
Water suspensions will affect residents overnight in the following areas:
- South of the North Mississippi Regional Center and south of Veterans Drive, affecting Windsor Falls Boulevard, Whippoorwill Lane, Pea Ridge Road, and the South Grove and South Oaks subdivisions.
- All developments on Oxford Way
- Developments on Old Taylor Road, including The Domain, The Reserve, Stillwater, The Azul Apartment Homes, Taylor Bend Apartments, The Mill, The Archive and others
Existing suspensions are expected to continue:
- Subdivisions near Mississippi Highway 6 east of Oxford, including The Highlands, Old Oaks, Tuscan Hills and The Lakes
- South of Mississippi Highway 7 and South Lamar Boulevard, including in Southpointe, Twin Gates, Yocona Ridge and Franklin Farms
- Beginning at Highway 6 and Jackson Avenue West, affecting Royal Oaks, Garden Terrace, Thacker Heights, Soleil, The Links, Eagle Pointe and Villa West
To shorten the duration of water suspensions, Tannehill strongly urged Oxford residents to stop dripping faucets, claiming that nearly seven million gallons of water daily could be coming from faucets.
“I am begging you to turn your faucets off,” Tannehill said in her video. “I know that there are people that are thinking, ‘My four faucets can’t affect the entire system,’ but you’re not right.”
The mayor also shared that as of Wednesday morning, six of 16 power circuits in Oxford were not operating, down from 10 of 16 on Tuesday, Jan 27.
“We are committed to getting all of our Oxford Utilities customers served as quickly as is humanly possible,” Tannehill said.
According to the university’s Jan. 28 morning update email, power has been restored to nearly 100 percent of the campus. Master lease and off-campus housing locations on the City of Oxford grid remain without power.
“The university is working to determine estimated timelines of power restoration which will be shared as new information becomes available,” the email said. “At this time, power has been restored to Campus Walk and as well as most units at The Quarters.”
Damage at campus facilities
The university also noted in its Jan. 28 morning update email that some campus buildings are experiencing flooding, caused by frozen pipes and frozen heating and cooling coils.
“Facilities management teams are actively responding across campus and are currently monitoring and addressing issues in more than 10 buildings,” the email said. “Crews will continue to assess conditions and respond as additional issues emerge.”
Ethel Scurlock, dean of the Sally McDonnell Barksdale Honors College, announced in an email to the honors community on Wednesday that the Honors College building suffered severe damage during the ice storm.
“You may have already heard that the honors college experienced a water leak that caused extensive damage,” Scurlock said in the email. “We have made the decision to temporarily close the building and restrict access. We are actively working toward repairs and will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so.”
The Whirlpool trails are closed until further notice while Facilities Management removes debris, according to the university’s Jan. 28 evening update email.
Moving forward
Boyce also highlighted the strength of both communities in the aftermath of Winter Storm Fern in his statement.
“Our housing staff, dining teams, facilities crews, police and emergency responders and so many others have gone above and beyond, working around the clock in difficult and dangerous conditions,” he said.
The university will continue to send out emergency alerts to update students and employees on recovery efforts and resources available during the campus closure.
“Until then, please continue to exercise caution, look out for one another and draw strength from the incredible community that surrounds us,” Boyce said.
The Daily Mississippian did not receive a response from the university before the time of publication due to weather-related delays.
