Temporary shelters in place for 3,000 students affected by power outages
In response to fire-safety issues, Rutgers announced contingency procedures for the 3,000 students who reside on the Cook and Douglass campuses.
Dan Morrison, executive director of Residence Life, said in an email that temporary shelters would be prepared in the Werblin Recreation Center, the Livingston Recreation Center and the Rutgers Athletic Center. Students will be notified which location to report to at a later time.
The College Avenue Gymnasium was later added to the list of temporary shelters.
Students can make alternative arrangements for housing overnight, Morrison said, including staying with friends off-campus or in residence halls on different campuses.
"Until the problem is fixed, we cannot allow anyone to occupy the apartments and residence halls on Cook and Douglass after dark," he said. "This is a fire-safety issue. In addition, there is no food service available in the Student Centers or Neilson Dining Hall."
Rutgers will continue to update students via email or through the Residence Life website, Morrison said. Students are encouraged to check the site on a regular basis.
"Please know that Rutgers and PSE&G are working hard to isolate and permanently correct the issue," Morrison said. "We are sorry for the impact this has had on you."
Executive Vice President for Strategic Planning and Operations Antonio Calcado said all classes on the affected campuses were canceled through the night in an email update.
"At this time, approximately 90 buildings continue to experience intermittent power outages, including 39 residence halls. We are working to resolve the issues," he said. "Arrangements have been made to provide temporary housing as well as transportation for the approximately 3,000 residential students who live on those campuses."
All non-residential buildings are closed until 10 p.m., he said. Non-essential employees should not report to work, while essential ones may still have to report to their buildings.
More information will be provided on the Rutgers University–New Brunswick and Rutgers Student Affairs websites, as well as Rutgers' social media accounts.
This article was updated on Sept. 14 at 4:24 p.m.
Nikhilesh De is the news editor of The Daily Targum. He is a School of Engineering senior. Follow him on Twitter @nikhileshde for more.
