October 31, 2012 Dear Members of the St. John's University Community, I am writing to update you on how the University has been dealing with the impact of Hurricane Sandy and its aftermath. I also want to express my concern for those of you who have been personally affected by the storm. All four of our New York campuses--Queens, Staten Island, Manhattan, and Oakdale--have some wind-related property damage and continue to experience significant power outages. Students and personnel in Manhattan and Oakdale were forced to evacuate, with Manhattan resident students relocated to our Queens campus. Teams from many departments are at work around the clock to restore all locations to full operation as soon as possible. Although classes have been cancelled for the past three days, our residential students in Queens and on Staten Island have been safe and secure with access to dining services and an array of activities during that time. While we have had to cease operations temporarily, the impact at St. John's has been far less serious than that experienced by many of our neighbors here in New York City and across the region. We are thankful to all those who have partnered with us to help St. John's throughout this emergency. However, I am saddened to report our community did experience a great loss in the storm-related death of one of our own. Anthony Laino was a 2004 St. John's graduate and an outstanding graduate student in the Tobin College of Business Risk Management Program, and son of Carol Laino, a longtime employee of the University. I hope you will join me in remembering Anthony and the Laino family in your thoughts and prayers during this very difficult time. I am deeply grateful to those at St. John's who have spent countless hours not only ensuring the safety of our students and staff over the past week but also readying our facilities to reopen as soon as conditions allow. Because those conditions vary widely across the region, especially with respect to power outages, our campuses are likely to reopen on different schedules. We will continue to provide regular updates to the University community. My very best wishes for the health and well-being of you and your families as we recover from the storm. Please know that you are in my thoughts and prayers as members of the St. John's family. Sincerely, Donald J. Harrington, C.M. President