Media briefing for June 18

(To listen to the briefing in mp3 audio format, click here.)

--The university will be open for business on Monday, with classes in session and offices open. “However, it will not be business as usual,” said President Sally Mason. Many parts of the campus are still closed, so some classes will be rescheduled to other rooms. Some parking lots are underwater so students and employees are urged to walk, bike or bus to work to reduce congestion that will be worse than normal. She also urged employees and supervisors to discuss continued use of flexible scheduling to reduce the number of people working on campus.

In addition, utilities will still not be returned to normal capacity for some time so some buildings will be too hot and some will be too cold. Students and employees should dress accordingly.

Students should check the Iowa Student Information System (ISIS) to see if their classes have been moved to a new location.

Students unable to return to campus for classes should check with the Registrar’s Office.

--Mason also said the university will be open for classes when the fall semester starts. Accommodations will have to be made for many classes, though, particularly on the arts campus, where some buildings will not be open in time for the start of the semester.

--Jean Robillard, vice president of medical affairs, said all parts of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics are open and maintaining a regular schedule. He said hours will be extended in the coming weeks to accommodate those patients whose appointments were cancelled in recent days because of the flooding.

--Mason also thanked many people for their work in helping the university through the crisis, including the thousands of volunteers who helped sandbag or move equipment, alumni, Hawkeye fans and people from other universities who have offered help, and to Gov. Chet Culver, Sens. Tom Harkin and Chuck Grassley and Rep. Dave Loebsack. She said 450 people have already given more than $75,000 to the university, gifts that will be used to help UI employees who have been affected by the flood.