February 19, 2021
Dear OU Family,
I hope this letter finds you safe. The historic winter storms of the last two weeks have triggered a number of challenges across our campuses, throughout our state, and well beyond. Many of you are still enduring power and utility disruptions, both on campus and in your homes. We also recognize that many of your families in other states may be experiencing their own hardships as a result of the weather crisis. As a university family, we stand ready to support those in our community who are experiencing unexpected challenges during this extreme event.
These extraordinary conditions have added additional strain in a year that’s already inflicted so much. I want to express my sincerest gratitude to all of you for your patience and resolve. Over the last two weeks, hundreds of our employees have worked tirelessly to ensure the safety of those on campus, particularly for our students living in OU Housing. Our teams in Facilities Management, Housing, Food Services, Campus Safety, the OU Police Department, and I.T. have taken extraordinary measures to minimize the disturbance to our students and to protect the continuity of our essential operations. The full impact of the weather event will continue to unfold in the coming days, and we are incredibly grateful to their ongoing efforts to mitigate the storm’s impact on our community and our facilities.
In addition, even with the weather-induced interruptions to instruction, our faculty and students have shown yet again their remarkable strength, adaptability, and commitment to sustaining our academic mission.
Although we look forward to welcoming warmer temperatures in the coming days, residual effects of the winter storm may impact certain facilities or services. We will closely monitor the situation, and our teams are prepared to address any issues that may arise. We are anticipating a return to normal campus operations on Monday, but we will communicate any updates, if necessary.
As with all we have endured this past year, our community has stood strong. Your perpetual resilience and outpouring of care are undeniably what makes our university family so special.
Live On, University,
Joseph Harroz, Jr.
President
