Stevens Sandy Stories You May Have Missed

Superstorm Sandy couldn’t keep Stevens down. Above, President Nariman Farvardin provided an overview of his impressions of the Hurricane Sandy experience and how Stevens made it safely through this unprecedented event. Read below for more inspiring stories from Stevens you may have missed!

Stevens Students Stay Busy

Despite the hardships the Stevens community faced during the storm, the campus continued to buzz with activity, in large part thanks to the dedicated Student Life and DeBaun Auditorium staff members and student volunteers, who used their creativity and energy to launch tons of fun and informative programming. These efforts kept students busy, informed and in good spirits.

Some of the activities included:

• Miss Sandy’s Open Mic Night: Off-Center, Stevens Dramatic Society, DeBaun and WCPR collaborated on a talent show, featuring students singing, playing instruments, doing stand-up comedy, and more.
• Hannibal Buress: This popular comedian came to Stevens despite high winds and driving rain to entertain all.
• Franken-Stormy: Stevens students didn’t miss Halloween. They put on costumes and trick-or-treated across campus. They also celebrated at Franken-Stormy, a Halloween party with music, costumes and decorations.
• Post-Sandy Lecture and Discussion: Professors Lee Vinsel and James McClellan held a session with students to examine the intersection of the storm and technology, and what engineers and scientists can do to help us improve our future coping abilities.
• Game Show Night: Students competed for cash prizes in a wacky pop culture trivia contest.
• Hurricane Relief Book Exchange: With no electricity, many students read … until they finished their books. The book exchange ensured no student was left without reading material.
• Physical activities: DeBaun Field was regularly available for students to blow off some energy playing soccer, Frisbee, football and more. Some of Stevens’ most enterprising students even founded a running club in the midst of the storm crisis and recovery.
• Community meeting: President Farvardin and other Stevens leaders provided an in-person update on the storm recovery to anyone on or near campus, easing nerves and providing comfort.

Gratitude for Stevens’ Emergency Response

Finally, throughout the storm, the Stevens Emergency Management Team (SERT) and support staff worked day and night to ensure students were safe, comfortable, fed, warm, entertained and informed. This hard-working and dedicated team – including university leaders and staff members from Campus Police, Information Technology, Communications, Physical Plant, Student Life, Residence Life, Athletics and Sodexo – put in an extraordinary effort to anticipate, plan and implement our emergency response. Despite the university’s very vulnerable position, Stevens escaped with no injuries.

Many members of the Stevens community expressed their gratitude to the Stevens administration, the SERT and other support staff through both email and social media.

Here are some highlights:

• “My husband and I would like to send you and your staff a personal thank you as we reflect on the past week’s events. My son is a freshman this year and it was very important to know what was going on during the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Your decision to tell students to go home if they could was the right one. Alerts went out and we were always kept up to date with the situation at Stevens. My son along with us knows he made the right decision going to your institution.”
• “I want to express my deepest thanks to you and the entire Stevens administration and staff, particularly the Stevens Emergency Management Team, for your extraordinary efforts during hurricane Sandy and its aftermath.  The thoughtful coordination and dedicated response of every office and department kept the students safe and informed.  That, of course, was primary.  Then to go the extra mile and offer events and activities to keep the students engaged as they waited for campus to get back to normal was remarkable. Of all the offerings, giving students the opportunity to help their neighbors in the Hoboken community was exceptionally meaningful.  Because of that, my son can look back on this week and feel that he used his time well and in a way that brought some measure of assistance to people in dire need. The school’s track record in the face of weather emergencies – Irene and now Sandy – is exceptional.  I do hope that you will not be called upon again anytime soon to mobilize in this way, but I have every confidence that should you be, you are more than up to the task. Again, my sincere thanks to everyone at Stevens for their commitment, hard work, and inspirational sense of community.”
• “Thank you for your exceptional communications in keeping those on the outside fully informed and secure that we were apprised of the conditions.  I have never seen such excellence in disaster management. I wish Stevens could teach the rest of the states how to best implement an emergency communications system. Thank you.”
• “Thank you. You have made this tough time very smooth and we greatly appreciate your updates!”
• “We would like to take a minute to say ‘thank you’ to Stevens for the great job you did in keeping the students and the parents updated on the happenings during Hurricane Sandy and the aftermath.  It made us feel connected and a little less anxious during Sandy.  We also appreciate how great the communication and how well Stevens works together with the Hoboken community. We also appreciate the efforts Stevens made to get class material covered and the semester completed.  Again, thank you!”
• “Thank you for keeping parents who are far away and worried, like my husband and myself, informed... We are keeping you all in our thoughts.”
• “Thank you for helping those in need. It was great seeing crews of students (and other Hobokenites) unloading a truck full of food to deliver to those seniors who could not easily get out of their apartment.”
• “I want to thank the university for doing an outstanding job of keeping us informed. We're 800+ miles away, and with 'normal' communications down or degraded, this has been wonderful. I have been through three hurricanes myself and know that the storm itself is just the first struggle. Keep up the good work!”
• “Thank you Stevens for all the updates. It is difficult having a child so far away & feeling helpless. Our thoughts & prayers for all of you from CA.”
•  “Thank you for all the updates. Amazing job, Stevens Emergency Management Team! Thank you. Prayers, strength and health. God bless!”
• “Keep up the great work. Proud to hear of Stevens’ contribution to the Hoboken community.”
• “Very proud of the Stevens students & administrators!”
• “You all did such a great job! Thank you so much!”
• “Thank you, Stevens, for being concerned of your students’ wellbeing.” 
• “Thank you Stevens for keeping our kids, your students, safe.”
• “You have done a great job updating everyone.”
• “Thank you to Stevens for all that you've done.”
• “Proud of you.”

Finally, here is a letter from SGA President Teddy Poppe which sums up Stevens students’ gratitude for how the Stevens administration handled this difficult event.