Communications

Date: October 31, 2012

To: All U.Va. Parents

From: Patricia M. Lampkin, Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer

Re: Update for U.Va. Parents

Dear Parents:

We are very fortunate that Hurricane Sandy only brought high winds and a little rain to our area. The decision to cancel classes was not made lightly. Because the storm was so large and multiple weather systems were potentially set to collide, we erred on the side of extreme caution. We have witnessed some highly destructive weather in this area in the last few years – a microburst in 2010 that uprooted trees and caused widespread damage, and a derecho this past June that resulted in at least one death due to a falling tree. By urging students to stay inside during the storm and by asking faculty and staff not to be on the roads, we prepared for the worst but thankfully experienced the best.

Given the storm’s massive destruction in parts of the Northeast, we recognize that many students have friends and family members who have been affected by the storm. We are reaching out to students from those states that were hard-hit to see if they need any special assistance.

Getting students to heed safety warnings often can be challenging, and we do appreciate your help in reinforcing these messages about taking responsibility for personal safety. The post-9-11 world in which we live has called for a new kind of vigilance and preparation.

Late autumn, especially around Halloween, is a time when we traditionally remind students about personal safety. A list of Halloween safety tips was emailed to students last night. You can read the email at www.virginia.edu/vpsa/communications/12-13/103012-halloween.html. These tips are useful at other times, especially as the daylight hours grow shorter and stress around upcoming papers and exams increases. We are also looking ahead to Thursday night, Nov. 15, when the University will host the University of North Carolina in our last home football game of the season.

It was good to see many of you during Family Weekend. We appreciate your attendance at so many events, especially the talk and Q&A with President Teresa Sullivan on Saturday morning.

We often receive questions from parents about transportation around the holidays. As you and your student think about transportation for Thanksgiving and Winter Break, you may want to consider the UVAirBus. Sponsored by Student Council with financial support provided by the U.Va. Parents Fund, this reasonably priced service offers one-way or roundtrip rides to the Richmond and Dulles airports. You can purchase tickets or get more details on the UVAirBus web page.

As always, if I or a member of my team in Student Affairs can be of assistance to you or your student, please do not hesitate to ask.

Sincerely,

Patricia M. Lampkin
Vice President and Chief Student Affairs Officer

Upcoming Dates

Nov. 21-25: Thanksgiving recess
Dec. 7: Fall courses end
Dec. 10-18: Fall examinations
Dec. 19: First-year residence halls close
Dec. 19 – Jan. 13: Winter break
Jan. 2-11: January Term 2013
Jan. 11: First-year residence halls re-open
Jan. 14: Spring courses begin
March 9-17: Spring Break
May 19: Final Exercises