AUBURN UNIVERSITY CANCELS CLASSES FOR REMAINDER OF WEEK
Coliseum to open as shelter Wednesday evening; Board of Trustees meetings cancelled

AUBURN – Auburn University this afternoon announced the cancellation of all classes scheduled for Wednesday through Friday due to the potential for severe weather associated with Hurricane Ivan.

All Auburn University faculty and staff should report to work on Wednesday. Only designated personnel should report on Thursday and Friday.

Auburn University Interim President Ed Richardson said the decision to cancel classes for the remainder of the week was made after consultation Tuesday afternoon with weather and emergency management officials.

"The safety of our students is our number one priority," Richardson said. "We feel it is in their best interest to err on the side of caution."

AU officials anticipate classes will resume on Monday, Sept. 20, but students should check the AU web site at www.auburn.edu and monitor state media for further developments.

In addition, The Auburn University Board of Trustees meeting, scheduled for Friday, and all associated board committee meetings, scheduled for Thursday and Friday, have been postponed. Richardson said he hopes to reschedule the Board meeting for some time within the next 10 days.

Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum, staffed by the local affiliate of the American Red Cross, will open as a shelter for students, faculty, staff and the community at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Should the Coliseum reach its capacity, shelters will be opened at the Student Activities Building and, if needed, at Haley Center. Persons living in mobile homes are strongly urged to take precautions in securing their belongings and to seek shelter in one of these facilities if the severe weather associated with the hurricane affects the area.

The American Red Cross Web site at http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/0,1082,0_587_,00.html provides information on what those using shelters should bring with them, as well as other useful preparedness information.

AU also is continuing to weigh weather and emergency management information with regard to the status of Saturday's football game with LSU. At this time, there has been no change in the date, starting time or location of the game and any such decisions will be made only following consultation with these agencies, the Southeastern Conference Commissioner's office and representatives of LSU. The status of the game will be re-evaluated as Hurricane Ivan's path and strength become more clear.

Richardson said a decision on the football game could come as late as Friday morning. Football fans are urged to check the Auburn Gameday Web site at www.auburn.edu/gameday for further developments.

However, because of the potential for damaging winds and flooding, no RVs will be permitted to park anywhere on campus until further notice. AU officials encourage all those who plan to travel to Auburn for the game to do so only after the university announces a final decision on whether the game will be played.
# # #
sept04:AU-hurricane