With its own electricity supply secure this weekend, the University served as an oasis and a refuge to off-campus students, Durham residents, city employees and faculty and staff who were left without power following last Wednesday's severe ice storm.
From a special needs shelter in the Intramural Building to hot meals for storm cleanup crews, the University opened its doors to the community as its own students and faculty coped with the aftermath of the storm just days before final exams were set to begin.
Although more than 100,000 Durham residents were left without power, the University's electricity was unaffected because it is connected to the power grid that provides energy to Duke Hospital-a supply that is almost impossible to shut down, officials said.
Only the Washington Duke Inn, the Primate Center and a few other buildings on the periphery lost power, and some of those were still connected to generators to keep operations running.
The American Red Cross authorized Duke to open the IM Building Friday and Saturday to serve as a special needs shelter. University officials, volunteers and doctors provided more than 30 Durham residents--most of whom had illnesses--with cots to sleep on, medical assistance, hot food courtesy of Dining Services and basketball tickets for children to attend the men's game versus Michigan.
"Everyone was doing whatever they could to help and all of our guests were treated wonderfully," said John Burness, senior vice president for public affairs and government relations.
Burness said the University also provided meals for the city's 100-member storm cleanup crew, vans to transport elderly patients and dining services for any Durham resident looking for a hot meal. "Duke Dining has sold more food than they ever imagined they could," Burness said.
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences William Chafe, along with Trinity College Dean Robert Thompson and Registrar Bruce Cunningham, sent an e-mail Friday afternoon to students and faculty detailing steps the University was taking to address the emergency weather issues.
For instance, the University opened up Gilbert-Addoms Dormitory and several floors of the McClendon Tower in the West-Edens Link as shelter for off-campus students without power and heat in their apartments. However, few if any students took the University up on the offer, said Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta. "I do know of many students who crashed on other people's floors," Moneta said.
Gillian Groarke, a senior who lives in Erwin Square, said she and her two roommates lost power in their apartment Wednesday night and stayed with a sorority sister in her dorm room until Saturday.
"Duke only offered us to stay in GA or the WEL and to eat in Rick's [Diner], options that are available regardless of a citywide state of emergency," Groarke said. "They didn't even section off commons rooms for off-campus students or even open up the gym for showering."
Others students tried to find hotels to spend the weekend in, some traveling to Raleigh or Virginia.
Moneta said many student concerns were on an individual basis, such as how to deal with insurance for the damage of limbs falling on their cars. At least 10 vehicles owned by students were damaged by fallen tree branches with damage estimated in the thousands of dollars, Duke police reported. There were no reports of major traffic accidents or injuries from falling branches.
With the last day of classes moved from Thursday to Friday and final exams set to begin Monday, other students had academic difficulties like completing papers without power in their apartments, which the University's Friday e-mail also addressed.
"It would be inappropriate for me to tell faculty what to do in such cases, but we have urged faculty members to be sensitive to the circumstances that students have had," Chafe said Sunday.
Meanwhile, members of the staff and faculty also found refuge on campus. The John Hope Franklin Center, the English department and many other offices offered a warm place to sleep and some weekend entertainment, Burness said. Even Chafe, who was among many administrators and faculty also without power, slept in his office this weekend.
Members of the Board of Trustees, who held a limited meeting this weekend, were forced to sleep in the frigid Washington Duke Inn, which had electricity and hot water, but no heat. "[The Trustees] were roughing it while students were basking in the splendor of their warm dorm rooms," Burness said.
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