Hurricane Irene, the storm currently ravaging the Bahamas, is expected to reach New Jersey on Sunday, leading Seton Hall to cancel all scheduled events for that day, including New Student Convocation.
In a broadcast email, sent out this morning, students moving into residence halls were advised to arrive no later than 2 p.m. on Saturday or to wait until Monday, Aug. 29 to move into residence halls.
"We have been tracking progress of the storm and to give students enough time for travel we decided to make the decision today based on the latest weather information," associate vice president and dean of students Karen Van Norman said.
According to Tracy Gottlieb, dean of Freshman Studies and Special Academic Programs, this is the first time a convocation event has been cancelled since she has been the dean of Freshman Studies. She said that, while the event is important, the safety of Seton Hall's students is a top priority.
"Sunday, the weather forecast really really looks pretty intense with hurricane force winds and we just really don't want to put anyone's safety at risk. We didn't want students to make plans around Sunday's event when the weather forecast looks so dismal," she said. "We just want to make sure that come Sunday all our new pirates are settled in and ready for the storm. "
As of now, classes are still expected to begin as scheduled on August 29
Nicholas Parco can be reached at nicholas.parco@student.shu.edu
Alyana Alfaro can be reached at alyana.alfaro@student.shu.edu
