Tulane returns to in-person classes on Tuesday
On Monday, President Michael Fitts, along with Patrick Norton, senior vice president and chief operating officer, and Robin Forman, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, updated the Tulane community on the tropical storm activity in the Gulf of Mexico and the university’s preparedness for severe weather.
The message read:
We are writing to update you on the forecasted impacts of Tropical Storms Marco and Laura on the New Orleans area and campus operations.
Tulane is expecting minimal impact from Marco through Monday evening, including some wind and rain that is forecasted to end around midnight. All university facilities remain safe and secure. With only light rain and minimal winds predicted for Tuesday), normal operations will resume on our campuses, and classes will be held in person. The only exception will be classes that are scheduled in temporary structures, which will be held online. We will spend Tuesday resetting these classrooms and working to apply acoustic upgrades. For timekeeping and managers, official campus closure ended at midnight.
Meanwhile, we are actively monitoring Laura, which is predicted to become a hurricane – probably a Category 2 or 3 – once it reaches the Gulf of Mexico Monday night. Forecasters believe the storm will likely make landfall Wednesday near the Louisiana-Texas border – at some distance from New Orleans. We should know better Tuesday what the impact will be for New Orleans. We plan to provide an update by midday Tuesday regarding campus operations and classes for Wednesday.
While it appears that the Tulane community will be spared the worst effects of both of these storms, we remain concerned for our neighbors, alumni, family and friends in Laura’s path. We pray for their safety and will assist them in any way we can during their recovery. We are grateful to everyone in the Tulane community for their hard work, dedication and cooperation in keeping us safe during these challenging times. In addition, we realize that nationwide issues with Zoom and Canvas caused a lot of frustration and inconvenience for online instruction Monday, and we thank our faculty for their patience and commitment to our students.
