The University of Mississippi is closing its main campus in Oxford until Feb. 8 as a result of the lingering effects of Winter Storm Fern.
Ole Miss officials announced that the campus closure includes the cancellation of all classes, events, and activities. A women’s basketball game initially scheduled to take place in the SJB Pavilion on Thursday night has been moved to Friday afternoon in Birmingham, Ala. Meanwhile, no official word has been given regarding the status of Saturday’s home men’s basketball game.
University Chancellor Glenn Boyce reported that icy conditions in the Oxford area have had an ongoing impact on students and staff who live off-campus, including loss of power, internet, cell service, and water. As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 16,000 power outages were reported in Lafayette County alone. Dangerous road conditions also pose a difficulty for staff and students to get to campus.
“While our teams have worked tirelessly to restore operations, the impacts of this storm go far beyond our campus. The people of our city and county, including thousands of students and employees, are facing the loss of power and water, internet and cellular connectivity issues, and intermittent access to food and fuel,” Boyce said on X.
“Our focus remains on keeping our people safe, and that means acknowledging that we are part of a larger community in crisis. Conditions remain hazardous with ice on roads and walkways, inoperable stop lights, downed trees and power lines, as well as falling ice as temperatures fluctuate.”
For those in the Oxford area, the Ole Miss student union is operating as a warming center for students and employees, with overnight access. The on-campus Rebel Market, which has provided thousands of meals since the winter storm devastated the region, will continue to serve as a food service location as the university remains closed. Bus services have resumed limited operations with service from the majority of the primary off-campus residential locations to the student union and to the local Walmart from 8 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. on a continuous loop.
Before venturing to campus, area students and staffers are encouraged to check weather and road conditions along their route to ensure safe travel, as some roads have been shut down. For those not in the vicinity of campus, officials discourage travel at this time in order to provide first responders and university teams the ability to safely undertake recovery efforts.
“I urge everyone to avoid non-essential travel on campus, both on foot and by vehicle, so our recovery teams have the space they need to work safely and diligently. In the midst of this devastation, we have witnessed the extraordinary strength of our community and the unwavering dedication of those who have cared for our students,” Boyce added.
“Our housing staff, dining teams, facilities crews, police, and emergency responders, and so many others have gone above and beyond, working around the clock in difficult and dangerous conditions. We are so grateful to each of them, and to our first responders and community partners.”
Once the school is reopened, faculty and instructors will be tasked with communicating directly with students regarding adjustments to coursework, academic activities, assignments, exams, and deadlines.