Winter storm closure on Jan. 4

Wheaton College offices and facilities will be closed on Thursday, January 4, and all scheduled events have been canceled, due to a major winter storm forecast to begin overnight.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning, forecasting up to 12 inches of snow accompanied by heavy winds, with gusts reaching up to nearly 50 m.p.h.

During the storm

Students who are staying on campus during the winter break should plan to remain indoors during the storm on Thursday. Given the heavy snowfall, pathways and stairs will be slippery and visibility is expected to be greatly reduced at times. Also, students should make sure that all windows and exterior doors in their residence halls  are kept closed. Please remember that the use of candles and other flammable items are prohibited.

This evening (Wednesday) also would be the right time to ensure that your cell phones and other mobile devices are charged, in the event that the campus experiences a power outage due to the high winds and heavy snow.

If you are in need of assistance, you can contact the RA on call for your quad via the on-call number posted in your building. In the event of an emergency, please contact Public Safety at 508-286-3333.

Campus facilities

Chase Dining Hall will continue to operate tomorrow on its special winter break schedule—breakfast from 7:30 to 9:30 a.m., lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and dinner from 5 to 7 p.m. In addition, the dining hall will offer “to-go” container options today (Wednesday) so that students can avoid leaving the residence hall for food during the height of the storm on Thursday. Balfour-Hood Cafe, which would normally be open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., will not open on Thursday.

Other facilities that are normally open during the break, including the Haas Athletic Center, Balfour-Hood Campus Center (including the Pappas Fitness Center), the bookstore and the library, will be closed on Thursday.

We encourage all students, faculty and staff to remain attentive to college email and to the website for updates. We want everyone to be safe.

Campus parking

Parking restrictions will be in effect until further notice.

If there are any problems or safety issues, please contact Public Safety at 508-286-8213.