Due to icy conditions, Drew University will delay opening tomorrow, Wednesday, March 15.

• CLA classes will begin at 10:25AM.
• Theological School classes will begin at 1:10PM.
• Graduate School classes are unaffected by this delay.
• Administrative offices and the Library will open at 10am.
• The Forum will run on its normal schedule.
• The Commons will run on its normal schedule.
• Peet’s and Starbucks will open at 10:00am.
• The EC Food Court at will open at 11:00am.

If you are driving to campus, please remain off campus until your building is open to allow the facilities team to continue to remove snow and ice. When on campus, please use caution as all paved surfaces are rapidly freezing and refreezing even when they have been treated.

We will share any updates via email, on this page, and on our Facebook and Twitter feeds as they are available.

Current forecasts for tomorrow, March 14, include up to 24 inches of snow over a 12-16 hour period. As a result, Drew University and all associated activities will be closed on Tuesday, March 14. Please note the following:

• All classes (in the College of Liberal Arts, in the Theological School and in the Caspersen School) are cancelled.
• Quiet hours in undergraduate residence halls start immediately.
• All meals will be served in The Commons.
• The Forum and the Library are closed.
• All activities are cancelled, including The Drew Forum lecture scheduled for tomorrow evening.
• A separate announcement will be sent through residence life with additional information related to the possibility of power outages, etc.

We anticipate high winds and snow drifts. If you live on campus, please stay in your residence hall except to go to The Commons. Please use caution when walking on campus.

We will provide updates about re-opening via email, on this page, and on our Facebook and Twitter feeds as they are available.

Due to snow, Drew University will have a delayed opening on Friday, March 10^th.  The University will open at 10:00am.  Please see the information below for information as of this writing. Updates will be sent to campus email addresses, be shared on Drew’s Twitter and Facebook pages and be posted here.

• Dining Services will operate on their Spring Break schedule, and all meals will be served from the Ehinger Center.
• Emergencies on campus should be reported to Public Safety at 973-408-4444.
• Please call 973-408-3510 or 973-408-3379 to contact facilities with any concerns.

Thank you for your cooperation and please be safe. We will continue to update you as we open buildings.

Building Access Today – Thursday, Feb. 9
We are pleased to share that we are able to open the following buildings today:

• Library will be open from 4:30PM-10:00PM.
• Forum will be open from 3:30PM-11:00PM.
• As per our earlier communication, the Commons and McLendon Market will maintain normal hours of operation.

Please note that while the snow showers have begun to taper, the paths around campus are still icy and we ask that you use extreme caution. Facilities is continuing to treat roads and paths, as well as remove snow, but the temperatures continue to drop increasing the amount of ice around campus. Delayed Opening Tomorrow – Friday, Feb. 10
Drew campus opening has been delayed for tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 10 so the facilities team can continue snow and ice removal. As safety is our top priority, please note the following schedule. Access to buildings and parking lots, especially for those driving to campus, will be limited prior to that.

• CLA classes will begin at 10:25AM. INTO and CLA classes scheduled before that time are cancelled.
• Caspersen and Theological School classes are not impacted by this delayed opening.
• All administrative offices will open at 10AM. For staff who cannot arrive by 10AM, please contact your manager for alternative arrangements.
• EC Food Court will be open at 11AM for lunch. The Commons and all other dining will be open regular hours.
• The EC, Library and Forum will resume normal operating hours tomorrow. (NOTE: The Food Court will open at 11AM.)
• The Acorn Academy will open at 10AM tomorrow.
• If at any time you have facilities concerns, please call  973-408-3510 or 973-408-3379.

Please use caution getting to campus and on the roads and paths as we are actively cleaning them. Thank you for your assistance and adherence to this schedule.

Dear members of the Drew community,

Drew University will officially be closed on Thursday, February 9. Updates to the information below will be sent to campus email addresses, be shared on Drew’s Twitter and Facebook pages and be posted here.

• All CLA, Theological School and Graduate School classes are cancelled.
• The Ehinger Center, libraries and Forum will be closed. If the snow ends and paths are cleared, we may be able to open these buildings later in the day. We will send updates tomorrow if we are able to open those buildings.
• Dining Services:
  • The Commons will be open regular hours for all meals.
  • The EC Food Court will be closed.
  • McLendon Market will be open normal hours–6:00pm–2:00am.
  • Peet’s Coffee House and Starbucks will be closed.
• All team practices and recreation activities are cancelled.
• Health Services will be closed. All medical and other emergencies should be reported to Public Safety at (973)-408-4444.
• The Acorn Academy will be closed.
• Please call 973-408-3510 or 973-408-3379 to contact facilities with any concerns.

Thank you for your cooperation and please be safe.
Sincerely,
Kira Poplowski
Vice President for Communications

Snow with heavy accumulation is forecasted for the Madison, NJ area starting tonight, February 8th, and continuing through tomorrow afternoon. We are watching the weather closely and will share information on schedule changes, closures, etc. via campus email addresses, Drew’s Twitter and Facebook feeds and Drew’s emergency page.

If you have not already signed up for our emergency response system, please do so here.

Dear Drew community members,

Thank you for your patience while Facilities has retested the four buildings with elevated levels of lead in the water. To provide a more thorough picture of the situation in each building, this test included a water sample from each faucet in the building. As you may recall, the initial tests were from a single faucet in each facility. As you can see from this chart a few of these results were better than the first round, although most remained consistent. Gilbert House’s results were now officially below the actionable level, but we still thought it prudent to remediate based on initial results and a follow up visible inspection.

In response to these tests, the University will be vigorously addressing the soluble lead issues. Our next steps include:

• We will be replacing the hot and cold domestic water pipes in Gilbert, Smith and SW Bowne.
• In Gilbert and Smith Houses, we will also be installing new faucets and sinks in each restroom and in the kitchens/ pantries.
• In SW Bowne, we will be replacing the faucet and sink in the Dean’s restroom.
• In the Rose Library, we will be removing the sinks in their entirety and capping the pipes.

All other sinks are below the EPA (Federal) and New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (State) actionable level of 15 ug/L and will continue to be monitored, but no action is required at this time.

Once the new piping and faucets have been installed, we will draw new samples from each faucet, have them tested, and share the results with the campus. If we find there are still elevated levels of lead in the water after the pipe and faucet replacement work has been completed, we will move to the next level of remediation and look at more holistic solutions for the water supply to the building.

We are currently scheduling this remediation and will confirm when these replacements are scheduled to happen.

Thank you for your patience. Please send your questions or concerns to Greg Smith, interim assistant vice president of Facilities and Campus Operations by emailing gsmith2@drew.edu or calling 267-247-6398.

Drew community members,

We received several inquiries about the memo sent out on Monday about the elevated levels of lead in the water of four buildings on campus. This note provides clarification on the testing between December 26, 2016 and January 6, 2017 and next steps.

First, the process by which these original samples were taken: to test the purest sample, we followed recommendations to take the first sample that immediately comes from the water source at a time when the pipes have had the least amount of use. As a result, our sustainability coordinator and an OSHA independent contractor obtained the samples from one faucet in each building during the holiday break. They were then sent to Agra Environmental and Laboratory Services for testing. The university did these tests voluntarily and not because of any regulation or mandate to do so.

The results that we received indicated that there was an elevated level of lead in four of the buildings tested. The federal (EPA) and state (NJDEP) guidelines state that 15 micrograms per Liter (ug/L) is the actionable limit for lead in water. The following are the results from those tests, as well as the locations of the sinks tested.

This week we collected new samples from each sink in these buildings and they are currently at the lab to be tested. We anticipate receiving the results around January 27th. We will follow up with additional information at that time. The university is continuing to treat this issue with the utmost urgency and is prepared to remediate appropriately based on the outcomes of these tests.

As a reminder, the impacted buildings have been provided with water service. Also, you can find additional information at the New Jersey Department of Health.

Thank you for your understanding and support as we work to resolve this situation.

Please send your questions or concerns to Greg Smith, interim assistant vice president of Facilities and Campus Operations by emailing gsmith2@drew.edu or calling 267-247-6398.

As you may have noticed, Facilities has excavated the steam line in front of Brothers College to do emergency repairs and to evaluate if there is any damage to electric and data cables located in the same trench. The heat will be on this week and we are not expecting any impact to Brothers College. However, we anticipate that there will be no daytime heat in Brothers College next week, Nov. 14-18. In anticipation of that issue, heat will be turned on each night and we hope that residual overnight heat (plus hopefully mild weather) will keep the daytime interior temperature at a comfortable level. We will provide a reminder so that those who use Brothers College can plan to dress accordingly. We will also update you if there is any impact to electric and data cables and let you know how we are addressing it. Trees located within the work area have not been impacted. All affected turf areas will be reseeded and protected with hay to promote new grass growth in the spring. Please avoid any areas that are marked off and be aware of construction vehicles operating in the vicinity. Thank you very much for your cooperation and patience as we repair the steam pipe and ensure safe and reliable heat and internet services. Please contact our Service Response Center at x3510 with any questions or concerns.

Dear Drew community members,

Thank you again for your patience as we continue to address the issue with the hot water system in The Commons.

A temporary fix to the system was completed on October 14 and, following an inspection by the Madison Health Department, The Commons reopened.

On October 16, the first step in a multi-step permanent fix was completed and some hot water was restored to the building. On Thursday, October 20, the second step in the permanent fix was completed and we are able to run all dishes and utensils through the dishwasher for proper sanitizing. We will return to regular dishware instead of disposables as of breakfast on Friday, October 21.

The next steps in the permanent fix continue this week, and we anticipate that the entire project will take up to a year to complete. We will continue to update the community as work progresses.

Dear Drew community members,

Thank you again for your patience as we address the issue with the hot water system in The Commons! A temporary fix to the system was completed on Friday, October 14 and, following an inspection by the Madison Health Department, The Commons reopened for dinner and subsequent meals. Our thanks to Odir Pacheco, director of Treeline Dining Services, and his team for increasing service in the EC and for providing service in The Commons as soon as it was possible. As of today, October 16, the first step in a multi-step permanent fix was completed and hot water has been fully restored to the building. Many thanks to Greg Smith, interim director of facilities, and his team who worked around the clock to make this happen. The next steps in the permanent fix will begin this week, and we anticipate that these interstitial steps will be finished in the next few weeks. We will continue to update the community as the project progresses.

Dear Drew community members,

We’re happy to share that The Commons has re-opened, following a temporary fix to the hot water supply system and inspection by the Madison Health Department. Dinner on Friday, October 14 and all subsequent meals will be served in The Commons. Thank you for your patience as we addressed this issue!

Planning for a permanent fix to the hot water system is already underway. This will be a multi-step process and we will provide details throughout the work.

Again, thanks for your patience and understanding!

Dear Drew community members,

The Commons will be CLOSED as of 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 13 until further notice due to capacity issues with the hot water retention tank. We anticipate that it will take 2-3 days to fully address the problem temporarily as we prepare to address the issue permanently.

Meals on Friday, October 14 and until further notice will be served in the Ehinger Center (EC). Additional seating will be available in the EC. Breakfast will begin at 7:30 a.m. and meals will be served continuously until the EC closes at 10 p.m.

On Friday, Starbucks will be open from 8 a.m. until 7 p.m.

On Friday, Peet’s Coffee will open at 7:30 a.m. and remain open until 6 p.m. (instead of 3 p.m.).

On Friday, McLendon will open at 3 p.m. (instead of 6 p.m.) and remain open until 2:30 a.m.

For more information, and for information on meal service over the weekend and the week of October 17, please visit the campus notification page, the drew.edu homepage and the Drew Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Thank you so much for your patience as we address this issue.

Dear Drew community members,

We have discovered a capacity issue with the hot water generation tank in The Commons, causing intermittent hot water loss. We anticipate that it will take 2-3 days to fully address the problem temporarily as we prepare to address the issue permanently.

In the meantime, since hot water is critical to the sanitary operations of The Commons, we have contacted the Madison Health Department to confirm the safety of our plan to ensure sanitation. Tonight, October 13, and until further notice will use eco-friendly disposable plates, cutlery and cups. Beginning tomorrow, October 14, and after confirmation from the Health Department, we will do the following in communication and collaboration with the Madison Health Department:

1. Continue to use disposable plates, glasses and cutlery until further notice.
2. Sanitize pots, pans and serving utensils using the hot water remaining in the holding tank.
3. We will use serving and preparation equipment sanitized in the EC and transported to The Commons to augment what is cleaned in The Commons.
4. Sanitize hands using the hand sanitizers available at each hand sanitizing station and in restrooms.

The Commons will maintain its normal operating hours: 7:30 a.m. – 8:30 p.m. Catering is not affected by the issue with the water tank.

We will share more information on next steps once they are finalized. Please check this page, the drew.edu homepage, and Drew’s Facebook and Twitter feeds for more information.