AITP Association of Information Technology Professionals

Monday, October 22, 2007
Campus Alert: San Diego Wildfires

Campus Closed Through Saturday, Oct. 27 - All Classes Cancelled
Oct. 23, 2007 1 p.m.

• Campus Closed Through Saturday, Oct. 27 - All Classes Cancelled
• Residence Halls/Essential Campus Services Remain Open
• Peterson Gymnasium Serving As Shelter for Displaced Students, Faculty and Staff
• Jennifer Lopez/Marc Anthony Concert for Wednesday Oct. 24 at Cox Arena Cancelled

San Diego State University has cancelled classes through the remainder of the week. The campus is closed for all non-essential personnel (as determined by their supervisor). On-campus residence halls and essential support services such as food service and student health care will remain open.

There is no present threat to the campus from the fires.

Those remaining on campus - including students in residence halls - are encouraged to stay indoors to minimize their exposure to smoke and dust in the air. SDSU health and safety officials are monitoring indoor air quality and report it to be "good to excellent" in all areas sampled.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to check the SDSU Web site at www.sdsu.edu or call the university's Emergency Information Hotline at (866) 794-8832 for updates on the campus' status.

Peterson Gymnasium - located on the west side of campus on 55th Street - is now serving as a temporary shelter for students, faculty and staff and their families displaced by the fires. While this is not an official evacuation site, and Red Cross services will not be available, SDSU is responding to the extraordinary circumstances and will do what's possible to assist those in need. A limited number of cots and sleeping bags are available. Food, shower and bathroom facilities are also being made available. SDSU is accepting donations only of blankets and cots. Food and beverage items are not needed.

Also, D-lot is available for students and employees from evacuated areas as a "no cite" location for those who need to store vehicles on a temporary basis.

SDSU Student Health Services (SHS) is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday. Due to the medical issues resulting from the wildfires, SHS has shifted the focus of its medical services to care primarily for students with urgent medical problems. SHS is rescheduling existing appointments for students with less urgent problems, including those in our specialty clinics such as Optometry, Dermatology and Orthopedics. Staff will still be available to care for any student with an acute medical problem such as asthma or other respiratory symptoms like cough, breathing problems, chest pain, etc. as well as other urgent issues like injuries. SHS can provide only first aid for faculty and staff, for example, for on-campus minor injuries. After hours, students may receive nursing advice by calling (888) 594-5281.

SDSU faculty and staff are encouraged to avail themselves of SDSU's Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides a variety of counseling services. EAP -- managed by PacifiCare Behavioral Health -- can be reached online at http://www.pbhi.com or call (800) 234-5465 for more information.

The Jennifer Lopez/Marc Anthony concert scheduled for Wednesday, Oct. 24 at Cox Arena has been cancelled. Ticket refund information is forthcoming.

No decision has been made regarding the Aztecs/BYU football game scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 27 at QUALCOMM Stadium.