In Appreciation for the Winter Storm Response

January 29, 2016

Members of the Rutgers Community:

I am writing to publicly thank all the people across the University who worked so hard to clear away the snow from last weekend’s record-setting blizzard and those who performed other critical functions to keep our students and the Rutgers community safe during and after the storm. Many of them worked around the clock for 72 hours to accomplish this herculean task. In the cleanup alone, our men and women put in more than 17,000 person-hours, operated 645 pieces of motorized equipment, put down nearly 3,000 bags of ice melt, and moved hundreds of truckloads of snow.

Well over a thousand employees were involved in the University’s response to this massive storm, including facilities and residence life staff, dining services employees, health care and service provider employees, police officers and other public safety staff, research and animal care employees, and student affairs personnel. These individuals, and all those who contributed to our emergency response, have my admiration for their commitment to keeping our students, faculty, and staff safe and for bringing the University back into operation as quickly as possible.

I know you share my pride in the dedication of these Rutgers employees, and I join you in taking time to thank them.

Sincerely,

Robert Barchi