Hurricane Irene provided a test of the University’s crisis-response strategy, and while the University made some excellent and quick decisions, it still failed to adequately inform students about a plan of action in the days leading up to the storm.

The fact that the University made the crunch-time decision to open up move-in one day early was laudable; many students took advantage of the opportunity to avoid Saturday’s heavy rainfall while getting situated in their new homes. GW’s early monitoring of Hurricane Irene and its swift decision to open up an extra move-in day required additional effort from University employees and volunteers, but it was ultimately a successful endeavor and it allowed for a smoother return to campus.

The University’s communication with its students, however, was infrequent and insufficient. Students received only four University Infomail messages with information about the hurricane. The e-mail blasts notified the community of the changed move-in day, cancelled outdoor events and provided a few measures to take in case of an emergency, as well as a notification that Gelman Library would be closed Sunday.

The University never sent a notification about potential shelters in the event of a hurricane. These are plans that need to be shared by the University immediately.

The fact is that we are students, and for many of us it was our first experience with a hurricane. While the natural disaster ultimately proved to be mild, the University should have taken more steps to reassure the student body through frequent communication.

In the case of a future crisis, the University must do more to assume its leadership role and communicate effectively and frequently with the community.

Students and employees were looking to the administration for guidance during the hurricane, but the University only provided feeble information about its strategy and the community was left in the dark.