Office of the Registrar

From: Chancellor and Dean & Senior Associate Dean

OSU-Cascades faculty, staff and students,

As many of you may have noticed, the recent severe winter weather has put significant stress on our campus facilities, as well as on buildings and facilities throughout Bend and Central Oregon.

At OSU-Cascades the heavy snowfall sustained over a course of days combined with unusually cold temperatures has impacted systems across multiple buildings, including heating, kitchen facilities, roofing, water supply and a fire suppression sprinkler system. The snowfall has also required significant snow removal across campus.

Thanks to hard work from facilities, operations, campus safety, dining and student life staff, we have been able to manage these issues, allowing us to maintain campus operations with minimal curtailments. I’m appreciative of the efforts of our faculty to work around these issues to deliver their courses and continue research efforts.

I’m also grateful to students who have accommodated the necessary changes with patience and understanding.

We ask for your continued flexibility through the coming weeks, as some of these issues may require more time before they are fully resolved. While indoor temperatures are stabilizing, some spaces (particularly in Obsidian Hall) may be slightly cooler than normal because of heating issues, so please be prepared and dress accordingly. Some spaces may be temporarily unavailable, requiring rescheduling, and relevant parties will be informed. Additionally, campus safety will be conducting fire watch patrols, as a precaution.

Again, thank you to so many faculty and staff whose tremendous hard work and resilience over the weekend and throughout the week allowed us to successfully manage these issues.

We’re proud of how our campus community has responded to this challenge, working as a team and supporting others when help is needed. 

Thank you all for your flexibility and understanding.

Sincerely,

Sherm Bloomer                                                                        Christine Pollard

Chancellor and Dean                                                               Senior Associate Dean