Remembrance events, late opening, traffic changes on April 16
Virginia Tech will hold no classes and its administrative offices will open at 10 a.m., two hours later than normal, on the second Day of Remembrance for those lost in 2007.
Though employees are still expected to report for work on April 16, supervisors have been asked to be flexible in allowing them to use leave to attend any of the numerous remembrance events on campus. The university has updated its We Remember website with a complete schedule of events, as well as other information related to April 16.
The late opening is because more than 2,000 people have registered to participate in a 3.2 mile Run in Remembrance that begins at 8 a.m. “I’m thrilled to see so many people showing their respects,” Provost Mark McNamee said. “But with more than 2,000 people participating in the event and filling campus streets with runners and pedestrians right at the beginning of this very special day of remembrance, we may see a significant safety hazard for drivers and runners.”
Several parking lots and roads will be closed for either all or part of April 16. Virginia Tech News has posted a detailed list of traffic and parking changes. Visitor parking permits will not be required on April 16, but people who plan to come to campus that day are strongly encouraged to carpool. Many spaces will be unavailable the entire day, and Blacksburg Transit will have reduced service.
The first of the day’s remembrance events will be the midnight lighting of a ceremonial candle at the April 16 memorial on the Drillfield in front of Burruss Hall. Later events include the Run in Remembrance, a noon gathering on the Drillfield, exhibits and performances in the Squires Student Center, and a candlelight vigil at sundown at the April 16 memorial. The noon gathering will move to the Commonwealth Ballroom in the Squires Student Center should there be heavy rain.
The War Memorial Chapel will be open from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Counseling will be available on campus.
Emergency personnel should report for work at normal times. Delayed opening procedures are in effect for leave reporting. University offices and supervisors should make independent decisions for opening based on their understanding of the required workload for that day. Employees who would normally work and will be required to work from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. will be eligible for delayed opening compensation.
