Meeting House in the snow - January 2010

Update - Thursday 7 January - 3.30pm

The campus is open today (Thursday 7 January), but parking is restricted.  Some campus services limited - see below for update.  Limited public transport to campus.

** Campus also expected to be open tomorrow (Friday) - updates later today **

Main campus roads have been cleared, but parking is very limited.  Sussex House and Sports Centre car parks are cleared, and there are 100 spaces in the Science car park.  The visitors car park at Sussex House is currently blocked by an abandoned vehicle.

No snow is forecast today for campus, but temperatures are freezing, which will mean care is needed on travel to and around campus.

Staff are encouraged to use public transport wherever possible.  Travel conditions from different parts of Sussex may of course vary.  BBC Sussex website currently provides comprehensive links to transport information.

Where staff can work effectively from home then they should consider doing so. 

Public transport

Trains are running to Falmer Station from Brighton and Lewes, although there is a revised timetable. Some bus services are re-starting after they were stopped completely due to ice - check Brighton buses for information. 

As at 9.45 am, Brighton buses say they will shortly be running the number 25 between Palmeira Square (central Brighton) and Falmer Station (campus entrance), but not going into the University campus.  

Services on campus

Normal vacation services should be in operation on campus, but this will be subject to staff availability.   We will update information here if services (eg library, shops, cafes) are affected. 

Services update (3.30pm)

• Library services, including Special Collections, open as normal
• ITS services open - Shawcross helpdesk closed at 3.30 pm
• Coffee Shop in Bramber House open
• Bridge Cafe (Pevensey 1 and 2) open until 2 pm
• No other University cafes open
• Four Seasons ('Hums') cafe in Arts A will be closed Friday 8 January. Currently plan to open on Monday 11 January but with vacation opening hours (9am-4pm) to allow staff extra time to get to and from work
• Falmer Bar and food service open until 8pm
• York House Union shop open, closing at 1pm. Then open again 4.30-7pm
• Sports Centre and Falmer Sports Complex both open - but will close early at 5pm
• Post Office Bramber House closed
• York House Store is open, but all other Union shops are closed
• Conference office closed - all conference events cancelled
• Some School Offices are unable to open due to staffing shortages, some are running limited service and may close early.  We can't offer comprehensive list here.  Best advice is to call and check
• Creche: Thursday 7 January - Limited Childcare service running in the Baby room, Creche, Norwich House for all ages, closing at 4pm. 
  Creche: Friday 8th January - If the University is open we will be running a limited Childcare service depending on how many staff are able to get into the campus. It is unlikely that we will operate in all rooms so please phone the Baby room 01273 877629, as staff will be asked to go to this room first, to find out what service we are able to offer;
• Counselling service is closed today and we will review situation before deciding on whether we can offer face to face service tomorrow (8 Jan). Emergency contact can be provided by ringing 07951 170331.

Service providers can email internalcomms@sussex.ac.uk to provide updates to be added here.

Early announcements about services tomorrow (Friday 8 January) and beyond:

Campus is expected to be open tomorrow (Friday), unless the weather worsens significantly.  Some services chanegs are already notified:

• Four Seasons ('Hums') cafe in Arts A will be closed tomorrow. Currently plan to open on Monday 11 January but with vacation opening hours (9am-4pm) to allow staff extra time to get to and from work
• Creche: If the University is open we will be running a limited Childcare service depending on how many staff are able to get into the campus. It is unlikely that we will operate in all rooms so please phone the Baby room 01273 877629, as staff will be asked to go to this room first, to find out what service we are able to offer. 
• Counselling service: the situation will be reviewed before deciding whether face-to-face services can be offered tomorrow (Fri 8 Jan). Emergency contact can be provided by ringing 07951 170331.

Safety on campus

Steps and entrances to buildings will be cleared by premises staff as they arrive. Paths will be snowy across campus. Staff should of course take care in using paths and accessing buildings. 

In an emergency call 24 Hour Security on 01273 678234.

Events

A number of public events due to take place today and tomorrow have already been cancelled due to the weather.  See separate news item.

This situation will be kept under review as freezing conditions are forecast to continue - and there is the possibility of snow in the days ahead.