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Written Friday, October 27, 2023 at 9:50pm

Bates Community - 

We write to report that the shooting suspect has been found dead. This is the official “all clear” message that provides confirmation that the current threat is over. Given this important development, we will not be sending an additional message tomorrow morning at 7:00 a.m. as indicated earlier.

We continue to emphasize the resources available to students and employees. Students who need support should reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Multifaith Chaplaincy, and/or their Student Support Advisor. For employees, the Employee Assistance Program is available by calling 1-888-238-6232 at any time. You can also find additional critical incident resources on the HR Homepage.

There will be opportunities next week for us to come together as a campus community to reflect and connect. Details about a campus gathering will be shared tomorrow by Brittany Longsdorf, our Multifaith Chaplain.

In community,

Geoffrey Swift

Written Friday, October 27, 2023 at 6:20pm

Bates Community - 

In a news conference a few minutes ago, a representative of the Maine Department of Public Safety indicated that the shelter-in-place order has been lifted effective immediately, though the manhunt continues. Some restrictions will remain in place.

We continue to follow the guidance of our Maine public safety authorities, and advise our community to continue to be vigilant and make decisions about being outside in a way that is most comfortable for them. We will retain keycard access on all Bates facilities. 

[Please see the email with subject "CAMPUS STATUS UPDATE; 6:20 p.m. 10.27.2023" for the dining schedule.]

  • Athletic facilities will be open tomorrow for fitness from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and regular hours will resume on Sunday, October 28. Please note that Merrill continues to be set up for the inauguration events that had been planned for today. As such, the Merrill track and tennis court area will remain closed until we are able to remove the current set-up. Please be advised that hot water and heat may not be available until the afternoon due to repairs underway.
  • Academic buildings will be available via keycard access.
  • Bobcat Express shuttle service will resume regular hours tomorrow.
  • We encourage students to be prudent and thoughtful about their time outside of college buildings and off campus, and to continue to avoid congregating in large groups in public spaces until we learn more. We recognize that some students may not feel comfortable moving around outside; in this case, you should stay in your room and have a friend pick-up a meal for you. If you have a specific dietary concern and need support please contact Cheryl Lacey at 207-240-9896.

As we look to next week, classes will resume and will be held in person as of Monday, October 30. All college offices will be open. We recognize that some employees may need to take personal leave; please inform your supervisor if this is the case.

We anticipate an opportunity for the campus to gather to reflect, connect, and be in community. More details will be forthcoming.

We continue to emphasize the resources available to students and employees. Students who need support should reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Multifaith Chaplaincy, and/or their Student Support Advisor. For employees, the Employee Assistance Program is available by calling 1-888-238-6232 at any time. You can also find additional critical incident resources on the HR Homepage.

Stay vigilant, stay safe,

Geoff

Written Friday, October 27, 2023 at 4:10pm

Bates Community - 

We are still under a shelter-in-place order. Campus remains closed, and we ask employees to remain at home and follow directions from law enforcement. Students must remain inside their residence halls. There is no change from our overall status in this update. The next scheduled update will be approximately 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, October 28th.

Two items:

(1) Students who were scheduled to work on campus during the shelter-in-place will be paid for their regular schedule. Please submit your hours as you normally do, and check in with your supervisor with any questions.

(2) Saturday meals will have the same schedule and plan as today. We recognize that some students may not feel comfortable moving around outside; in this case, you should stay in your room. Students who are registered to use the Accessible Shuttle will be contacted by Campus Safety so they may provide assistance. For students who are not registered but need assistance, please contact Campus Safety at 207-786-6254. If you have a specific dietary concern and need support please contact Cheryl Lacey at 207-240-9522.

[Please see the email with subject "CAMPUS STATUS UPDATE; 4:10 p.m. 10.27.2023" for that schedule.]

If the all shelter-in-place order is lifted before tomorrow morning, we will update students by 7:00 a.m. tomorrow morning.

As indicated in earlier messages, students who need support should reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Multifaith Chaplaincy, and/or their Student Support Advisor. For employees, the Employee Assistance Program is available by calling 1-888-238-6232 at any time. You can also find additional critical incident resources on the HR Homepage.

Gratefully,

Geoffrey Swift

Written Friday, October 27, 2023 at 10:55am

Dear Students and Colleagues,

Today was supposed to be a glorious day of celebration for the college. Instead, as the shelter-in-place order following the Wednesday shootings in Lewiston continues, we're saddened, disappointed, uncertain, and angry. And it’s especially hard to reconcile that difficult reality with the beautiful October day unfolding around us.

I am hugely appreciative of the grace and patience that you all have displayed in the face of this tragedy and the ongoing search for the suspect. Thank you for continuing to adhere to the state’s lockdown orders and for adapting as necessary. Safety remains the priority for everyone in our community, and you are all contributors to that effort.

Students, thank you for following the meal retrieval protocol so well—and with such good spirit—yesterday, which will occur again today. Jon and I loved seeing you and your smiling faces, and we were grateful to be able to be in community with all of you. We of course hope you will be back at the tables in Commons together again very soon.

Staff and faculty who have remained on campus and kept essential services running, thank you for your tireless dedication to our students, and for all you give to Bates. Yesterday Jon and I heard many words of appreciation for our staff and stories of amazing acts of support and kindness from faculty and staff that were so meaningful to students and to each other.

And to everyone else who has helped in small ways and large, or who has signaled a desire to be of service, or who has contributed simply by following the official mandates of the moment—you have my enduring thanks.

I want to assure you that we are working diligently to provide support and resources for our community, and we are sharing everything we know about the evolving situation. We are in regular communication with law enforcement, and I have spoken with both Governor Mills and Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. These conversations have helped us make the best and most informed decisions about our community’s safety, particularly with regard to the limited movements of students and staff. In general, though, we know about the same as you know from watching or reading the news.

Please continue to follow the shelter-in-place order and watch for updates from us. And please continue to help one another through this. I know that you will.

Take good care,

   Garry

Garry W. Jenkins
President, Bates College

Written Friday, October 27, 2023 at 10:20am

Bates Community - 

Thank you for your continued dedication to the shelter-in-place order. It is challenging and frustrating to navigate these days, and the uncertainty of the situation.

I want to express my gratitude to the community and acknowledge the toll that the duration of a horrible situation can take on our emotional wellbeing. The waiting wears us down. Bates is a community of doers, individuals whose achievements contribute to a greater common good. Our instincts -- the characteristics that define us as the Bates community -- are to step forward and take action. But we are being asked to do just the opposite. It's hard. But it is what Bates and the greater Maine community needs us to do right now.

In the days ahead, when the shelter-in-place is lifted we may have a need for extra hands, and I’ve been buoyed by the offers to help. To that end, we have a Volunteer Form to aggregate names and availability. We do not know when we will be able to ask people to come to campus, and we’ll need to find the intersection of people, tasks, and timing. The form will facilitate the first part but if we stay in lockdown we’ll need to wait for the opportunity. Many thanks to the Student Affairs team who created and will monitor this form - Faith Hauger, Nora Molloy, Molly Newton, and Jimmy Riley.

The home field hockey and football games scheduled for Saturday, October 28  have been postponed. Further information regarding the rescheduled dates and times for both contests will be released by the NESCAC office later today, and this information will be available on the Athletics website once it is available.

We continue to emphasize the resources available to students and employees. Students who need support should reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Multifaith Chaplaincy, and/or their Student Support Advisor. For employees, the Employee Assistance Program is available by calling 1-888-238-6232 at any time. You can also find additional critical incident resources on the HR Homepage.

I will send another update around 4 p.m. today with whatever additional information we have at that time. If the shelter-in-place order is lifted we will update the campus as quickly as possible.

Be safe,

Geoff

Written Friday, October 27, 2023 at 5:10am

Bates Community - 

Unfortunately, we continue in lockdown and I ask for your continued patience and support as we navigate this situation together. Current updates:

We are still under a shelter-in-place order. Campus remains closed, and we ask employees to remain at home and follow directions from law enforcement. Students must remain inside their residence halls.

As noted yesterday at 5:10 p.m. Employees will be paid for their regular schedule for the time the college was closed during the shelter-in-place. Hourly employees should mark their timesheets using the “Bates Closed Hours” paycode. All hourly employees who have been working through this crisis should mark their timesheets using the “SERG Essential Personnel” paycode for those hours. Please contact your supervisor if you have questions.

While we are unable to host a college-wide gathering that would allow us to be in community with each other, students and employees may continue to access support virtually. Students who need support should reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Multifaith Chaplaincy, and/or their Student Support Advisor. For employees, the Employee Assistance Program is available by calling 1-888-238-6232 at any time. You can also find additional critical incident resources on the HR Homepage.

[Please refer the email subject "ACTIVE SHOOTER UPDATE; 5:10 a.m. 10.27.2023" for details on student meals today.]

Again, we have coordinated with the Maine State Police and the Lewiston Police Department and they are aware of the planned movement of students on campus to allow students to get food and then immediately return to their residence hall.

Gratefully,

Geoffrey Swift

Written Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 9:00pm

Bates Community - 

We are writing to follow up on our 5:10 p.m. message as indicated. While I am hopeful that a resolution will come sooner rather than later, we remain in a shelter-in-place posture until law enforcement changes their guidance.

As soon as the shelter-in-place order is lifted we will update the campus as quickly as possible through the text messages and emails used throughout the past 24 hours.

We will send a message by 5:30 a.m. tomorrow (Friday) that will include three updates that will be impacted by the status of the shelter-in-place order. These are:

  1. Information about student dining in Commons on Friday, October 27
  2. Information about campus status, i.e. open or closed
  3. Information about community gatherings, either virtual or in person

Our intent is to provide time for people to get some sleep, as it’s been a trying 24 hours. Naturally, if there’s an important development we will update the community as quickly as we can.

Be safe,

Geoff

Written Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 5:10pm

Bates Community - 

The shelter-in-place restrictions continue and the Bates community is asked to stay indoors and lock doors. The situation continues to be serious and we need to protect ourselves and help law enforcement by staying indoors and off the roads.

We continue to emphasize the resources available to students and employees. For students who are on campus, we acknowledge the challenges of this ask for you, too, and the uncertainty of being asked to stay in your residences. Students who need support should reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Multifaith Chaplaincy, and/or their Student Support Advisor. For employees, the Employee Assistance Program is available by calling 1-888-238-6232 at any time. Additionally, please see additional critical incident resources on the HR Homepage.

A few other items of note this afternoon based on questions and concerns:

  • We hope to provide predictable updates tonight and tomorrow. We anticipate sending further updates at approximately 9:00 p.m. tonight and 5:30 a.m. tomorrow, although we may, of course, provide other updates should they be warranted.
  • Employees will be paid their regular schedule for the time the college was closed during the lockdown. Note that I received offers from employees who were willing to give PTO to ensure our staff are paid - our community is tremendous.
  • emergency.bates.edu has all the emergency messages we’ve shared and has a translation feature available in the top right hand corner.
  • Certain buildings on campus do not yet have steam heat and repairs that were underway on Wednesday were unable to be completed. Facility Services is working with our vendor to get them back on site as soon as possible when the lockdown is lifted. The buildings with limited heat are: Alumni and Merrill Gym, Underhill Arena, Lane Hall, Hathorn Hall, Pettigrew Hall, Schaeffer Theatre, Roger Williams Hall, Hedge Hall, Muskie Archive, Gray Cage, Coram Hall, Cutten Maintenance Center, Dining Commons.
  • Facility Services will empty trash as quickly as possible as soon as the shelter-in-place order is lifted. Students, please help us and you by cleaning up after yourself in your housing environment, being tidy with food containers and, where possible, using centralized trash rooms.

Finally, we have received some inquiries about the dining plan for tomorrow. Please know that we are working on that plan right now and we will include that information in the 9:00 p.m.message tonight or the 5:30 a.m. message tomorrow morning.  Given that many of our staff are unable to come to campus at this time, the dining plan will entail limited hours, much like today. Please be patient and supportive of our remarkable dining team as they work to run the Commons operation.

We will be back in touch when we have more information.

Many thanks to all,

Geoff Swift

Written Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 1:21pm

Bates Community - 

Like you, we are closely following local, state, and national news and are eager for the situation to be resolved. Unfortunately, we are still in a shelter-in-place order. Consistent with today, classes scheduled for tomorrow, Friday, October 27, are canceled.

If the lockdown is lifted overnight, we intend for the campus to open on Friday, with classes canceled so that we can be together in community and to support one another. We will be in touch again in the morning about creating spaces to come together and programming for support. We recognize that some employees may need to take personal leave; please inform your supervisor to let them know if this is the case.

It is important to remember the resources available to students and employees. For students who need to speak with someone to receive emotional support, please contact Campus Safety at 207-786-6254. In turn, a member of the Campus Safety team will connect you with a member of the Student Affairs team to offer assistance. If students would like to urgently talk to a mental health counselor after hours, they may contact ProtoCall by calling 207-786-6200 and press “0”. For employees, we continue to coordinate on site support resources for employees through our Employee Assistance Program, which  employees may call at 1-888-238-6232 at any time.

In community,

Geoffrey Swift

Written Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 9:13am

Dear Students and Colleagues,

Our Lewiston community has suffered a terrible and senseless tragedy in the past 12 hours, one that touches many who live and work here. No matter how many times something like this happens, I find myself at a loss for words. And this time, it happened so close to home. Our thoughts are with those who have close ties to those who were killed or injured. Unfortunately, as the search for the person of interest continues, we remain in an emergency situation under shelter-in-place orders. 

I want to let you know what I know at this time, which is that one college employee was present at one of the shooting locations and was injured, but is expected to make a full recovery. To the best of our knowledge, two students were also near one of the crime scenes but were unharmed.

Of course, an event like this affects everyone in our community, and I imagine many of us are working through feelings of fear and anxiety right now. Please review the messages that you have received from Geoffrey Swift (our Vice President for Finance and Administration and point person for emergency response) where resources for support are given in detail.

One of our best resources, at a time like this, is one another. Please connect with the people around you—to both give and receive support.

I should be clear that the lockdown continues, and I thank you for your patience with the challenges that it brings. Thanks too for your understanding as the college works to address events as they are unfolding, as we consult with the Lewiston Police Department, and as we strive to meet the most urgent needs of our community as quickly as possible. Now and always, the safety of our students, employees, and visitors is our number one priority.

As you know, the college had a presidential inauguration planned for tomorrow, with events starting today. Given the tragedy and the current circumstances, we have decided to postpone all inauguration events until a later date and keep our focus on dealing with the ongoing emergency. We will update you when we have more information.

Please continue to look for email updates from Geoffrey Swift with more details on the lockdown and the college’s response. You can also find all updates at https://emergency.bates.edu/

Finally, my deepest gratitude to all the helpers: to the members of the Bates EMS who are serving as first responders, to the staff and faculty who are helping support students through lockdown, and to each of you who are supporting a friend or colleague or classmate through this genuinely terrifying and challenging time. May we continue to seek and find strength in one another as we work through the fallout from this horrifying act of violence.

Take good care, and take care of each other.

Garry

Garry W. Jenkins
President, Bates College

Written Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 8:40am

Bates Community - 

We remain in lockdown, and law enforcement teams continue their search. The shelter-in-place mandate was extended to the towns of Bowdoin and Lisbon, Maine, earlier this morning. We expect to learn more from a City of Lewiston press conference at 10:30 this morning.

For employees who are on campus, we acknowledge the challenges of your situation, and we  deeply appreciate your commitment to following guidance from authorities to stay off the roads and on campus; we will continue checking in with you. If you have not done so, please ensure your supervisor knows you are on campus. Wherever you may be, we are coordinating on site support resources for employees through our Employee Assistance Program, which will be available when the shelter-in-place is lifted. As always, employees may call at any time at 1-888-238-6232. 

For students who are on campus, we acknowledge the challenges of this situation for you, too, and the anxiety of being asked to stay in your residences. Students who need support should reach out to Counseling and Psychological Services, the Multifaith Chaplaincy, and/or their Student Support Advisor.A shelter-in-place order presents obvious challenges for dining, as we cannot staff Commons at this moment, and students are unable to go to Commons for meals. Our goal is to be able to provide food and community as soon as determined we can safely do so in coordination with the Lewiston Police Department.

In a heartening moment in a trying time, I have heard reports from people far and wide expressing care and concern for our community. Thank you all for your patience.

Geoffrey Swift

Written Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 6:30am

Bates Community - 

We remain in lockdown and we continue to follow Lewiston Police Department guidance to shelter in place. At this time, there are no reports of any Bates student or employee fatalities. 

We know this is extraordinarily difficult, particularly for those students who have not been able to return to their residence halls. The City of Lewiston and Lewiston Police Department have authorized us to shuttle students sheltering in place in academic and administrative buildings to their residence halls on campus. If you are sheltering in Ladd or Commons, please coordinate with Pat Schoknecht (in Ladd) or Christine Schwartz (in Commons), who are on site in the building. If you are a student who is sheltering in place in another academic or administrative building and would like to travel to your residence hall, please call Campus Safety at (207) 786-6254.   Campus Safety will provide a safe ride to your on-campus residence hall. Please know that many students will be making this request, so it may take some time to pick you up. 

Campus Safety continues to patrol and monitor campus, and we remain in touch with Lewiston Police Department and Lewiston city officials. 

We will continue to update you as information becomes available.

Geoffrey Swift

Written Thursday, October 26, 2023 at 3:49am

Bates Community - 

At this time, Lewiston and the Bates campus remain in a lockdown. As such, employees are unable to travel to campus and the college is unable to open for activities until further notice. No employees are to report to work, including essential employees, until further notice. 

More communication will follow as we make sense of this tragedy and our next steps.

Yours,

Geoffrey Swift

Written Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 11:35pm

Bates Community - 

While we continue to monitor the situation and are in communication with local officials and the Lewiston Police Department (LPD) with follow-up from this evening’s horrific events, it is clear that today has been a devastating day for Lewiston and for Maine. At this time, both the city and the campus remain on lockdown, which will be the case until the restriction is lifted. The safety of our community is our first and highest priority.

We know that these events have shocked and frightened our community. And we grieve for those whose lives were tragically lost in this heinous act of violence. Accordingly, classes scheduled for tomorrow, Thursday, October 26, are canceled.

At this time, we remain in lockdown. We realize that there are students who were not in their residence hall as we went into lockdown, and employees who are on campus and unable to return home. If you are in that situation and you have a specific emergency medical need please contact Campus Safety at 207-786-6254 with your current location and your need. The lockdown presents operational challenges for Bates, and we will provide additional information as it becomes available.

However, if the lockdown is lifted overnight, we intend for the campus to open on Thursday, with classes canceled so that we can be together in community and to support one another. We will be in touch again in the morning about creating spaces to come together. We recognize that some employees may elect to take personal leave; please inform your supervisor to let them know if this is the case.

For students who need to speak with someone tonight to receive emotional support, please contact Campus Safety at 207-786-6254. In turn, a member of the Campus Safety team will connect you with a member of the Student Affairs team to offer assistance. If students would like to urgently talk to a mental health counselor after hours, they may contact ProtoCall by calling 207-786-6200 and press “0”. Additionally, we are coordinating on site support resources for employees through our Employee Assistance Program, which  employees may call at any time.

As we learn more, we will update the community. Again, the safety of our community is our primary focus.

Yours,

Geoffrey Swift

Written Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 9:55pm

Campus - 

We are continuing to monitor the situation, as we know you are, too. We do not yet have additional information and the City of Lewiston remains in a lockdown with a request from the police to stay off the streets. As you have likely seen through media reports, we understand the shootings were located at Schemengees Bar & Grille, Sparetime Recreation, and the Walmart distribution center. We are in contact with city officials and the LPD, recognizing they are pulled into managing the situation, and will update you with new information as they make it available to us.

Your safety is of the highest importance; please follow the guidance of local authorities.

Geoff

Written Wednesday, October 25, 2023 at 8:47pm

Campus - 

There is an active shooter situation in Lewiston and the city is on lockdown and police have asked residents to stay indoors with doors locked and to stay off of streets. We will continue to send text alerts - two text alerts have been sent already - and email follow-up to campus with additional information as we receive it.

Geoff

This page will be used to communicate emergency information with the Bates College community, should the need arise. More information about Bates’ emergency preparations and procedures is available on our Campus Safety site.