Page 7 - Annual Report 2012-2013

we worked diligently to keep everyone informed via a number of communication
mediums: email, New York Alert, local media storm centers, facebook, the College’s
home page, even phone chains were utilized as methods for getting updates out to the
community. essential staff even processed pay stubs to the 500 employees who receive
them biweekly and also distributed paychecks through our business offices to those
workers not enrolled in direct deposit. Little
did we know that a few months later, these
same individuals would be called upon once
again—this time to clear two to three feet of
snow from a winter nor’easter named Nemo.
After the storm passed, we made a
determination not to impose any late fees on
those students who were unable to make
their scheduled payments as part of our
tuition payment plan program. is was
important because balances must be current
in order for students to be able to take
advantage of priority registration, which
started on the wednesday after the storm.
Students were advised of the College’s
decision on this issue via facebook, email
and the portal. ese were key dates and
we were sensitive to ensuring that students
would not experience any negative impact
as a result of the storm.
once again, we were a good neighbor to the Long island community by opening the
vacant property on our Michael J. Grant Campus to serve as a site for hosting some
of National Grid’s out-of-state utility vehicles and crews, along with necessary support
services such as portable housing and food for the workers. in addition, the campus
hosted eMS responders and ambulances with support personnel; families and pets
that were evacuated on the eastern end of Long island were housed in a county
shelter established at our eastern Campus.
following clean-up efforts, storm relief activities were initiated. i asked the office of
institutional Advancement to coordinate the design and development of a micro-site
within the College’s website to let both internal and external communities know what
the College was doing to support relief efforts. e site was designed to ensure that
the College could reactivate its use whenever a future disaster or catastrophic
circumstance warranted a College response. following Superstorm Sandy, the site
provided the latest information regarding campus and college-wide relief activities
and served as an access point for students, faculty and staff seeking to find help and
information from resources across Long island, and to make donations in support of
those in need. in addition, the Michael J. Grant Campus hosted a Hurricane Sandy
relief Benefit at the van Nostrand eatre, with proceeds allocated to benefit the
Suffolk Community College foundation relief fund, which was established to
provide assistance for members of the college community that needed help replacing
textbooks, computers or other electronic equipment, purchasing clothing and food,
and covering costs associated with commuting or other necessities. At the event,
donation bins were also set up to receive donations of clothing and other items for
Pronto of Long island and Long island Cares.
2012-2013 Review of Accomplishments ❘ 7
Our microsite informed internal and external communities
regarding relief efforts and resources.