As Hurricane Ian moves away from the area, everybody who remained on the DeLand campus is safe, including the approximately 327 students and 22 Resident Assistants in the residence halls, Public Safety officers, other essential personnel and President Christopher F. Roellke in the President’s House.

Keep up with Hurricane Ian updates and the forecast track at the National Hurricane Center.

Campus Conditions

Most of the campus lost electricity Wednesday night, although the power remains on at the Stetson Oaks Apartment, Stetson Palms Apartments and Plymouth Apartments on the north end of campus.

Duke Energy has not provided an estimate yet of when electricity will be restored. Please note that once power is restored, it can take half a day or more to return the campus to normal conditions. We will reopen the campus when we determine that the campus is safe and we have reactivated electricity, fire safety systems and HVAC.

Until then, the Carlton Union Building and Lynn Business Center are operating on generators.  Students who remained on campus and lost power in their residence halls have already begun relocating today to those buildings. The CUB has electricity, while the LBC has electricity and air-conditioning. Students are being asked to please stay inside those buildings and do not leave campus.

Public Safety is reporting downed debris, tree limbs and trees around campus and on surrounding roadways, as well as some minor flooding. In addition, Volusia County reports historic flooding in the area and has extended its curfew until 7 a.m. Friday.

Public Safety asks students, faculty, staff and others to please stay away from campus until electricity is restored, and they complete a damage assessment and can ensure campus conditions are safe. We will announce when it is safe to return to campus.

Stetson Dining provided dinner to about 400 students on Wednesday evening and also provided each of them with three boxed meals to eat on Thursday. Food service in the Commons will resume Friday with brunch from 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. and dinner from 5-7 p.m. 

Dining Services hopes to resume normal hours in the Commons on Saturday and Sunday.

Classes Next Week

Given the upcoming Fall Break (with no classes Thursday and Friday next week), the current uncertainty about the restoration of power to the campus, and the challenges of traveling back to DeLand after the storm, we are announcing that undergraduate classes and Counselor Education graduate classes will largely be moved online for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.  

In cases where in-person instruction is possible and desirable, students who are not able to engage in-person for whatever reason will have access to an alternate manner of class engagement. For those students who are able to return next week, we look forward to the faculty, coach, advisor and staff interactions that are a hallmark of a Stetson experience, as well as the restarting of vibrant co-curricular activities across campus.  And for those students who are unable to be back in DeLand next week, we are committed to fostering meaningful progress for you in your classes next week and eager to see you back on campus after Fall Break!