A winter storm traveling across the country arrived in Richmond on Saturday, covering campus with snow and ice. Measures were taken to ensure student safety, with University personnel in place to provide around-the-clock preparation and response.

Numerous staff members, including those from facilities, dining services, student development, and public safety, remained on campus throughout the storm, focusing on critical campus operations and serving the University’s residential student population.

“Student development staff and resident assistants were in touch with students on campus to make sure they had what they needed and knew how to receive support,” said Patrick Benner, senior director of Campus Life.

Other campus responses included:

• Facilities treated and cleared roads, sidewalks, and parking lots with a focus on the areas students were using, including near the Heilman Dining Center and Tyler Haynes Commons. The additional ice hampered efforts. “The crews have cleared and re-cleared areas, and will continue to treat and clear surfaces,” said Berkely Miller, executive director of Facilities Operations.
• Classes and events were canceled on Monday, and the University operated under a modified operating plan on Tuesday, given lingering impacts to campus and challenging travel conditions.
• Twenty-five staff from Dining Services stayed overnight on Saturday and Sunday to ensure students would receive meals. Heilman Dining Center adjusted its hours and provided breakfast-to-go bags. “We wanted to ensure our students were fed and had provisions in their rooms,” said Executive Chef Tyler Betzhold. 
• The campus did not lose power during the storm, but was prepared if it had. The University secured two generators to ensure continued operations at the Heilman Dining Center and Tyler Haynes Commons. 
• Additional study spaces were set up on the third floor of Tyler Haynes Commons for students seeking a quiet space to study, Benner said. Students also had access to the Pier, Current, and outer room of the Cellar.

RVA meteorologist Jim Duncan posted to Facebook that he is teaching a class at UR in a few months about the social science of meteorology. “This storm and the forecast communications leading up to it will play a prominent role as a case study for that class,” he wrote.