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