ASU President releases statement addressing crisis

Photo courtesy of ASU Communications and Marketing:
ASU's 11th President Ronnie Hawkins Jr

Ram Fam,

Greetings from a still very cold Angelo State! This has been a very hectic and unexpected couple of weeks for all of us—extended families and ASU alumni included. I have never been one to ask the question, "What’s next," when it comes to difficult situations I have faced, and I did not do it this week either. However, there has been one opportunity after another that has challenged the resolve and grit of many a Texan—us here at ASU included.

First, there was the city-wide water notice, then the record snowfall and plummeting temperatures; followed by the state- and city-wide power outages. All of these individual events taking place over the course of the last ten days. The students, staff, faculty, and personnel from throughout the city have come together to work and get us back to a place of "normalcy" (if I can even use that word in the middle of the pandemic we are also experiencing).

Our communication to the students and parents has not been up to a standard that we strive for and I am quite sure many of you expect. I am responsible for it not being where we want it to be, and I also take responsibility for getting it to the level you expect it to be. We have already taken steps to getting clear and timely information to you. Our Communications and Marketing staff will use these channels:

1. Emergency Notifications Website: The emergency notifications webpage will be updated as information is available. This page can also be accessed from the emergency notification near the top of angelo.edu.
2. ASU Alert: All students, faculty and staff can sign up for text alerts through the ASU Alert System. Notices that require immediate attention are sent through ASU Alert. To sign up for text messages from ASU Alert follow these steps:

1. Log in to RamPort.
2. Click your name in the upper right corner, and then select "My Info."
3. Click "Update ASU Alert Info."
4. Enter your phone number under "Voice" to receive phone calls.
5. Enter your phone number under "Text Messaging" to opt into text alerts.

3. Emails: Communications and Marketing will continue to send emails for items that require more explanation. We will continue to connect our faculty, staff and students to resources as they become available.
4. Social Media: The university’s official Facebook and Twitter accounts will share information sent through the initial ASU Alert communication that affects the community at large. Those pages serve as a resource, and we are happy to connect you to the correct department/office, as well as our emergency notification’s website, for more information.
5. News Releases: C&M also sends news releases to San Angelo and regional media with emergency notifications and closure information.

My commitment to each student is:
 

We will continue to keep you informed regarding how we bring the campus back up to normal over the next few days. The staff has already done a phenomenal level of work, and I have the utmost confidence in their dedication and ability to keep our campus and environment at a first-class level.

Let’s keep the communication channels open—both ways—I look forward to hearing from you.

Rams Rise,

rdhjr

Ronnie D. Hawkins, Jr.
President, Office of the President
Angelo State University
Member, Texas Tech University System
ASU Station #11007
San Angelo, TX 76909-1007
Phone: 325-942-2073
ronnie.hawkins@angelo.edu