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There are 139 comments on Classes Canceled, University Closed

  1. Been awake since 4 following police scanners, twitter, and the news. BU Today, please include in this article the importance of STAYING INDOORS until further notice. The police have articulated this multiple times on all news platforms. Newton, Waltham, Watertown, Cambridge, Allston, Brighton, especially… But all of Boston is on watch.

    1. parent… are cell phone services shut down all over the city and campus? Can’t get through to my son and wanted to see if he and his roommate are ok? For peace of mind, thanks if anyone can answer.

      1. I have been able to get through to my daughter via text and email. Was able to talk to her this morning, and have been communicating via text all morning.

      2. My son is a senior and I can tell you that he and many other students were up all night so, yes, he is probably sleeping! I’ve been able to reach my son so I think you could text, leave a vm, FB contact and ask him to contact you asap. My son said everyone is fine and in their dorms. Try calling one of the BU office numbers on their site if you’re really worried. : )

    2. Does this mean that rehearsals in the CFA are cancelled for tomorrow? Trying to figure out when I can go home for the weekend, my family is very worried about me.

  2. Kind of RIDICULOUS how the medical campus ALWAYS gets the notice to cancel classes last.

    There needs to be a unified mechanism ACROSS THE ENTIRE UNIVERSITY.

    BUSM 1st year medical students have an exam today. What is the policy on that??

    1. Yes, all campus events for visiting students and families today are cancelled. This includes Open House programs for admitted students as well as campus information sessions and tours offered through the Admissions Reception Center. Please stay safe.

          1. If a student signed up for the open house for today, can they come to the open house tomorrow? That is if the open house will continue tomorrow.

      1. My son is staying with a friend in the dorm and was supposed to attend the open house for admitted students. I imagine there is nothing he can do right now. Who should we contact?

      2. My heart is with all students, faculty and staff of BU.
        However, I drove 22 hours non-stop to be able to attend the Open House and I cannot express my frustation to turn around and to go back without the chance to see BU!
        It would be nice if the Saturday’s events would be re-instated since the lockdown was lifted.
        But again, when I am thinking at the loss of lives which marred Boston in the last days, a failed [long] trip is just a passing nuisance.

    1. Students should stay in their dorms. Dining hall staff who are already on campus will keep dining rooms open. All dining and facilities staff who are home are being told to stay home until public safety officials give the okay to travel.

        1. West, Warren, and 100 Bay State Rd as well as the Buick St Market are open and will maintain regular hours. Students living in dorms that do not have a dining hall will have a continental breakfast delivered to them this morning. Dining Services is in the process of doing that now…and they will deliver meals later in the day if needed. Students should visit dining services’ website at http://www.bu.edu/dining for up to date info.

          1. Just to clarify, Dining Services is in the process of delivering food items such as bagels and coffee to Shelton, Towers, Myles and Danielson. At this time, we do not have enough staff to deliver to all residence halls that do not have a dining hall.

          2. Thank you BU Dining Services for food delivery to major residence facilities. My daughter just discovered that she can walk to 520 Park from Buswell for food. I am very nervous about her having to walk, even that short distance, especially as the day progresses and it gets dark. She doesn’t see any BU or other security on that walking route. Anyone know if that will that change as it gets dark?

    1. Medical Campus info has been updated within the story. Medical Campus closed, but some staff and students in certain areas need to report.

  3. There are a lot of questions about the med campus. It seems like common sense since the MBTA is shut down, but there’s always a big announcement made that you have to check a different website than bu.edu/today for closing information (which has never been convenient and is now an issue of public safety). Maybe a quick line confirming it would ensure even the most dedicated GMS/MED/SPH students stay inside…

    1. This is from the medical campus: Boston University Medical Campus will be closed on Friday, April 19, 2013, due to the ongoing police search for the second suspect in the Marathon bombing. This includes the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, School of Public Health, School of Medicine and Division of Graduate Medical Sciences.

      Employees in essential services should report as scheduled. Essential services include, but are not limited to, Public Safety, Facilities Management, Emergency Patient Treatment, Office of Environmental Health and Safety, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, and Mail Service. Staff should check with their managers regarding their work schedules.

      Students who are assigned to inpatient services are expected to be present, if possible. Students who are assigned to outpatient services should check with their course director or the policy at the clinical site.

      For updated information, please call the emergency communications hotline at 617-638-6886 or visit the BU emergency communications website at http://www.bu.edu/ehs/comm/.

    1. Additional admitted student open houses are scheduled for next weekend. Although no programming is offered today, special programming for admitted students and their families is offered weekdays at the Admissions Reception Center at 121 Bay State Road through May 1. We are exploring other ways of accommodating those of you who wish to visit before making your enrollment decision.

      1. My daughter and I were scheduled for admitted students open house for COM; you mention addtional admitted student open houses are scheduled for next weekend, does this include COM?

      2. I flew in with my daughter from CA for today’s open house. If we stay over the weekend would Admissions be able to accommodate us with last minute scheduling of tours/visits? We had planned to head home early Sunday but would consider staying through Monday if we knew we could tour campus facilities, housing, class visit or anything else possible.

        It is not possible for us to return next weekend for the other scheduled open houses.

        1. Dear Heidi, With events in the city still deemed to be in a developing status we are currently unsure as to when exactly we can resume visit programs. I coordinate on-campus programs for Admissions and would appreciate the opportunity to be in touch with you directly about what we could offer on Monday provided that campus is open again. Please contact me at mdthomas@bu.edu

  4. Parents/students who are wondering about Open House: the entire University is closed today. All Admissions events are therefore cancelled. We are sending an email out to all who are registered for an Open House event or a program at the Admissions Reception Center. We will not be continuing with any of our visit programs today.

    – Gordon Ryan
    Digital & Social Media Marketing Manager
    Boston University Admissions

    1. “The Medical Campus and dental clinical services are closed. Students on clinical service rotations should check with their preceptors about working hours. Essential personnel are asked to report to work.”

      3rd and 4th year students: we are NOT essential personnel. Stay home and stay safe. No-one will blame you.

    2. According to an email I got from my professor, BUSM is closed. My professor is trying to figure out what to do about our exam that was scheduled for today

    1. I just talked with BU public safety officials and they report that there are no road closures and that students are free to leave campus with their parents.

        1. Hi again. I just now shared your question with our police chief and he tells me that we still don’t have any road closures in and around campus and that students remain free to leave with their parents.

          1. Hi! Sorry to bother you with this question again. My mother is trying to drive here to get me, do you know if there have been any changes as to the status of the roads around campus?

  5. “Dear Students,

    BU School of Medicine is closing. You will receive the standard message shortly concerning who should report in. The first and second year class exams will not happen today and we will be in contact later regarding rescheduling.

    Best wishes,

    Karen Symes”

  6. Message received from dental school:

    A decision to also close the medical campus has just been made. An official announcement from the Dean’s Office will be forthcoming. In the meantime, please be safe.

    1. Student Health Services is closed along with the rest of campus for the safety of our employees. We will be contacting students with appointments for today to inform them. The support groups for today are cancelled, but we will be attempting to reach out to students already affected by this terrible situation. Please stay indoors as instructed by the BUPD.

      David McBride, MD
      Director, Student Health Services

  7. HI..DOES ANYONE KNOW ABOUT TOMORROWS APRIL 20TH ADDMIITED STUDENTS OPEN HOUSE. IS IT STILL ON, OR CANCELLED?? NEED TO KNOW BEFORE WE GET ON ROAD FROM NJ…AND WE NEED TO KNOW IF WE NEED TO CANCEL HOTEL. urgent Many thanks! All, please be careful.!

    1. See info above: “Additional admitted student open houses are scheduled for next weekend. Although no programming is offered today, special programming for admitted students and their families is offered weekdays at the Admissions Reception Center at 121 Bay State Road through May 1. We are exploring other ways of accommodating those of you who wish to visit before making your enrollment decision.”

      1. Today is not the day to drive to Boston. The roads near the university are closed. Cancel your hotel. Stay home and come visit the campus later in the spring.

  8. Has a decision been made about Saturday’s open houses for admitted students? We are scheduled to get on a plane from out-of-state this afternoon and fly in for Saturday’s open house…

    1. Yeah… That’s probably not going to work out. All the facilities are closed today; who knows how long it’ll take them to find the suspect… It’s dangerous.

  9. ADMITTED STUDENT OPEN HOUSE UPDATE:

    Admitted student open houses are cancelled for today and tomorrow, April 19 and 20. Please do not come to campus for these events. We are exploring options for accommodating those of you who want to visit campus before making your enrollment decision. Thank you for your patience.

    1. We traveled up by train last night from New Jersey for today’s open house; I took time off of work so my son could attend your open house. Will we have a chance to see the University if we stay until tomorrow?

      1. We do not know at present if the campus will be open tomorrow and, thus, have cancelled all campus visit programs. We will not have staff on site today or tomorrow to accommodate visitors. We are presently exploring options for rescheduling events and communicating with those scheduled to be with us this weekend. I regret the inconvenience this has caused you.

        1. We flew in from DC yesterday to come to the open house today. My son cannot attend the open house next week as my son has his senior class trip. So there is literally no time to come to open house before he has to make his decision. Could there be one scheduled on Sunday or Monday? Just asking so that I know what to do as far as travel plans.

          1. Dear Jessica —
            Events are still unfolding in Boston and we are not sure yet when the campus will open for regular operations. Assuming this occurs by Monday, we will have special programming available for admitted students operating from our Admissions Reception Center at 121 Bay State Road. Please see http://www.bu.edu/admissions/visit-us for updates, or contact Meredyth Thomas at mdthomas@bu.edu.

        2. It is nice to hear that you are exploring alternate options now that events are under control. I can understand that it may be inconvenient for the administration to reorganize cancelled events, but your effort will pay off if our children, patiently waiting to visit BU feel appreciated; your institution will mutually benefit from their enrollment in the near future.

    2. We came to visit BU on Friday driving from St. Louis, but could not come close to campus due to the unfortunate events. Now that everything seems to be under control in Boston, we must move on with our lives, and I really hope that BU will reconsider canceling the Open House for Saturday. Our daughter is very anxious to visit BU, and as parets, we hope that her experience at Bu will shape her enrollment decision.

      1. We spent college money to make the trip to Boston so my S could decide between BU and one other school. This was a back-up school for him (*he was accepted to much more competitive schools, but they were going to accept 54 college credits that he gained as a PSEO student in high school, so he’s considering it). It would be a shame for the university to lose out on any student because they couldn’t find a way to open a couple of offices on a day that was previously scheduled to be open. I’m confident that they would not want to miss out on my S attending here. I wouldn’t say the same about him if I we were talking about U.Penn or Columbia. Unfortunately, without getting a chance to speak with someone in his department at BU, he has to make his decision based on the what he is able to derive from the BU website and generic pamphlets, which is likely to deter him when compared to his other school. Business in Boston seems to be back to normal today, but BU isn’t bouncing back like the rest of the city. Shameful…they will likely lose some great students that would have otherwised committed had the school just opened their doors…

    1. West, Warren, and 100 Bay State Rd as well as the Buick St Market are open and will maintain regular hours. Students living in dorms that do not have a dining hall will have a continental breakfast delivered to them this morning. Dining Services is in the process of doing that now…and they will deliver meals later in the day if needed. Students should visit dining services’ website at http://www.bu.edu/dining for up to date info.

    1. From the article: “While dining services are open at West Campus, Warren Towers, 100 Bay State Road, and the Buick Street Market, students are advised to remain in their residences until state authorities lift the stay-in-place order. All retail outlets on campus are closed.”

  10. South Campus has no dining halls and i’m sure most of us aren’t keen to go out to Warren or 100BSR given the situation. Will food be delivered to us like it was during Hurricane Sandy?

    1. Students living in dorms that do not have a dining hall will have a continental breakfast delivered to them this morning. Dining Services is in the process of doing that now…and they will deliver meals later in the day if needed. Students should visit dining services’ website at http://www.bu.edu/dining for up to date info.

        1. From Craig Hill of Auxillary Services: Just to clarify, Dining Services is in the process of delivering food items such as bagels and coffee to Shelton, Towers, Myles and Danielson. At this time, we do not have enough staff to deliver to all residence halls that do not have a dining hall.

          1. Thank you for providing all of this information, but it’s a little absurd that BU dining services is ignoring South Campus completely. While I am glad that students in Myles and Danielsen are getting food, Shelton and Towers are both extremely close to 100 Bay State Road and if you believe the situation is dangerous enough that we should not leave the dorms at all, how are we supposed to get food. Because we live in dormitories, we are required to purchase a dining plan, but because we are too far away, we are ignored during a time like this? Additionally, While Danielsen and Myles are further from dining halls than Shelton and Towers, there are a myriad of restaurants and convenience stores in Kenmore, while here in South, we have one restaurant and one 7-11, not really sufficient for the entire population living here, especially if, because of our location, we don’t get safe access to dining services.

          2. Dining is working with Residence Life to have a central location in South Campus for food deliveries, 520 Park Drive, basement level. Food will be there very soon.

    2. Don’t you guys have some Ramen under your bunks? You’ll live without food for a half day or so.

      This is an unprecedented day, so let’s cut BU some slack.

      1. Not everyone eats Ramen, and Ramen isn’t always sufficient. I get gastric pains sometimes if i don’t eat proper food, and eating Ramen only makes them worse.

        I’m not knocking on BU or Dining Services. I understand that there are not enough people on hand to deliver food everywhere. I don’t mind waiting. I have half a tub of peanut butter i can eat from if i’m starting to feel the gastric pains. But it seems like South is being ignored completely. Craig from Auxiliary Services only mentioned the four dorms that they are delivering food to. He didn’t mention South at all, even if South is getting food slightly later than the rest. I don’t even feel safe walking down to 7-11, let alone all the way to 100BSR or Warren to eat.

      2. Yeah, while this may be unprecedented, this is part of a larger pattern of BU completely ignoring South Campus, especially during crises. During the big snow storms, North Campus from at least 100 Bay State to the GSU was nicely salted and pretty walkable, but down here, it was actually dangerous to go outside because of the amount of ice and slush. I appreciate that BU has to de facto prioritize some areas of campus over others, but does South really always have to be the last thought? Also, no, I didn’t stock up on food in the event that there was a city-wide manhunt happening right outside my window, nor should I have to considering how much a required dining plan costs.

          1. Yes, first world problems, which I get to complain about because I pay first world tuition which empties my first world bank account and is leaving me with first world debt. But you’re right, I’m just being a complainer. Just like if I was eating at a restaurant, paid the bill up front, and got a little bummed when meals were delivered to every table but mine.

  11. Boston University really cares its students, the alert system in Umass sucks, it took three hours to warn us after the bombings on Monday, and we can’t get any detailed updates through our university website.

  12. It would be great if the community would come together and help each other out. If you have snacks, please share with your neighbors. There are more pressing issues going on right now.

  13. My daughter lives in a brownstone 2 blocks from 100 Bay Street. Even though the students aren’t supposed to go out, they have been told that if they want to eat, they need to go to 100 Bay Street for food. I understand you don’t have enough staff but don’t tell one half of the campus to stay in and the other to walk 2 blocks for food.

  14. Kids that don’t have food are going to go out to get food. They’re kids. better to have a plan that includes all the dorms. so they know they are not on their own.

  15. Student Activities has decided that all events this evening are cancelled. We are concerned that even if the shelter in place mandate is lifted, bringing together all the required support servies for these events will not be realistic. We will work with the hosting student organizations to reschedule what we can when the office reopens on Monday.

  16. Life at BU hasn’t changed since I was there in the 70’s… Buswell dorm and others that do not have a dining service hall still struggle in these circumstances. Just be safe all students from an alumni afar in Georgia…

  17. Is the Cinematheque for APRIL 19-AN EVENING WITH ALISON TATLOCK cancelled? Or will it be rescheduled? If not will there be other opportunities to fill our cinematheque requirements?

  18. My daughter in Danielsen did not get breakfast, and now is supposed to WALK through Kenmore Square to get to Bay State and she has to be there at 5 pm in order to get any dinner. The city of Boston is SHUT DOWN – how can you make our children walk ANYWHERE for a meal? Are there police available to escort them to the dining hall? BU – you can do better by your nervous students and their worried parents!

    1. For Heaven’s sake, your daughter will not starve to death. If you read the article in full, you would see that BU police are staggered around the dining hall routes.

      So if she can’t handle walking over to Kenmore, I’m sure she could find something open on Mass Ave. But she’d be on her own.

      If you haven’t noticed, BU is actually receiving praise for how it is handling the situation at hand. I’m sorry you cannot hear that praise over the sounds of your child’s grumbling stomach. Next time your kid elects to attend college in a major city with crime, send a care package full of granola bars.

  19. We came to visit BU on Friday, but could not come close to campus due to the unfortunate events. Now that everything seems to be under control in Boston, we must move on with our lives, and I really hope that BU will reconsider canceling the Open House for Saturday. Our daughter is very anxious to visit BU, and as parets, we hope that her experience at Bu will shape her enrollment decision.

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