Dr. Bob Strawser, interim president at Texas A&M University-Kingsville, has issued the order closing the Kingsville campus beginning at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 10, in preparation of the pending landfall of Hurricane Ike. All Wednesday night classes and all classes Thursday, Sept. 11, and Friday, Sept. 12, are cancelled.

 

This order affects the Kingsville campus only. The System Center-San Antonio campus remains open at this time.

 

Evacuation of students: Kingsville campus residence hall students are asked to evacuate campus. Students who do not have transportation to a safe location are asked to notify residence hall authorities so they may be evacuated through other means. International students who have no way of leaving Kingsville should notify Millie Slaughter, at 361-593-4350 to join the group being evacuated. The university is in the process of securing buses through The Texas A&M University System to aid in getting our students to the evacuation site at Texas A&M International in Laredo. Students evacuating should visit the university web site that will prepare them for these circumstances. The site, http://www.tamuk.edu/sass/crisis/evac.pdf, lists steps to take before evacuating and what to take to an evacuation site away from home.

 

Athletics: The volleyball game between the Javelinas and St. Mary’s University will go on as scheduled, however, the first home football game scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 13 against Central Oklahoma, will not be played in Javelina Stadium. No decision has been made at this time to play the game in Oklahoma.
           

After the storm: The Crisis Management Team will meet Sunday afternoon after a complete university assessment to determine the course of action for Monday, Sept. 15. A message will be sent to faculty, staff and students via the ConnectEd system with the status of the university for Monday and the following week. The university emergency hotline, 361-593-5990, will be in effect. The employee recall hotline, 361-592-0131, also will be updated.

 

Read the university’s preparedness plan now: The university’s complete hurricane preparedness plan is posted at http://www.tamuk.edu/sass/crisis/index.htm. Students, faculty and staff are advised to review the plan now for information on what to do prior to the closure of campus.

 

Make your own personal plan now: Be aware that the university is not an evacuation/emergency shelter. All students, faculty and staff must leave campus, except for emergency operations personnel.

 

Faculty and staff should protect equipment and information: Faculty and staff are encouraged to protect equipment, such as computers, printers, lab equipment, etc. as much as possible prior to leaving campus Wednesday.  Equipment and files that can be moved should be placed as high as possible, away from windows, to prevent its damage from any flooding that might occur. Be aware, however, that storage on a top floor or attic could result in damage, since roofs can be blown off during hurricane-force winds. Storage on a mid-level floor, or high up on a shelf on a ground floor, away from windows, is advised.

Avoid spreading rumors: During any crisis, rumors tend to circulate. These can range from class closures, to buses coming early or late or not at all, to mandatory evacuations. Students, faculty and staff should not panic or participate in generation of rumors. Continue to watch your email and monitor local news media for updated information.

 

Watch your CAMPUS email for further advisories. Texas A&M University-Kingsville is committed to providing a safe campus environment. By working together to understand and practice appropriate safety procedures, students, faculty and staff can help all of us stay safe during a crisis. We thank you in advance for your assistance with and adherence to the university’s hurricane preparedness plan.