Hurricane Sandy dealt a devastating blow to areas along the East Coast, including many cities and towns that Northeastern students, faculty and staff members call home.  Although our campus escaped the worst of the storm, I know that many members of our community are deeply concerned about the destruction and challenges that have fallen upon family members, friends, and loved ones.

To the students and community members who have been affected most directly: we are thinking of you, and we’re here for you.

Just as people in New Jersey, New York and across the nation are uniting to help one another in the hurricane’s aftermath, our campus is coming together to assist members of the Northeastern community who need support during this difficult time.  The Office for Student Affairs has already reached out to more than 5,000 Northeastern students from the areas that were hardest hit by the hurricane, and we will continue to make services and resources available to any student who needs them.

As always, our students are also joining together to assist those who have been impacted by this disaster.  If you would like to get engaged in relief and volunteer efforts, please visit www.northeastern.edu/studentlife/sandy/, which lists opportunities to help and get involved.

The Center for Spirituality, Dialogue, and Service is also organizing a vigil so we may come together as a community and reflect on this tragedy. The service will be held in the Sacred Space in Ell Hall on Monday, November 5 at 7:30 p.m., and all are welcome to attend.

I also would like to take this opportunity to thank our colleagues in the Facilities and Public Safety divisions, who worked diligently to make sure our students remained safe and secure and enabled our campus to re-open quickly.

If you are dealing with any emergencies or hardships arising from the storm, please do not hesitate to contact Northeastern’s WeCare program, which can be reached at (617) 373-4384, wecare@neu.edu, and at 104 Ell Hall.  In addition, student support is available from the University Health and Counseling Service, as well as from the Center for Spirituality, Dialogue and Service.

In the coming days, we will draw strength from one another as our region emerges from this harrowing experience.  I encourage all of you to lend a helping hand and a listening ear to your peers and colleagues who are grappling with challenges in the storm’s wake.

 

Sincerely,

Joseph E. Aoun
President