• Adverse Weather Update: Jan. 21, 2025

    On Tuesday, Jan. 21, Boone campus classes will meet online until 11 a.m. Condition 1 (Reduced Operations) is in effect for non-faculty employees in Boone until 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21.
    Read full message.

    Posted at 4:56pm on January 20, 2025.

App State Operations: Hurricane Helene campus update

Friday, October 11, 2024

App State Operations: Hurricane Helene campus update

As our community works to recover from Helene’s impacts, campus and community resources, support and information are available for students and employees. Continue reading for this information and other updates.

Interim Chancellor Norris and Acting Provost Specht sent messages this week to students, faculty and staff with details about Fall Break and the Boone campus’s reopening. Additional information on academic support for students was also sent from Vice Provost Mark Ginn.

Classes will resume on Wednesday, Oct. 16. On Friday, Oct. 11, at 5 p.m., Condition 1 (Reduced Operations) will go into effect until further notice. Visit the Appalachian State University website for the latest condition updates.

A curfew is in place for Watauga County, Town of Blowing Rock and Town of Boone until further notice, to keep roads clear for repair work. Please observe this curfew.

App State Disaster Relief Resources

Disaster Relief Hub

Students, faculty and staff should visit the Disaster Relief Hub if they:

  • Have been displaced from their housing
  • Need financial assistance due to missed work, lost or damaged housing, damaged or lost items, or other impacts of Hurricane Helene
  • Need other services, including Counseling and Psychological Services, Case Management, Emergency Management, Financial Aid, Off-Campus Student Services, the Student Legal Clinic, help applying for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assistance and insurance guidance

The Disaster Relief Hub will be open Monday, Oct. 14 – Friday, Oct. 18, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. in the Plemmons Student Union. A remote option is also available.

Representatives will be available from Case Management, Counseling and Psychological Services, Emergency Management, Financial Aid, Human Resources, Off-Campus Student Services, the Student Legal Clinic, FEMA and App State Disaster Relief Recovery Fund.

Disaster Relief Resources

Visit the university’s Disaster Relief Resources page for additional information, including:

  • FEMA assistance for homeowners and renters
  • University facility hours of operation
  • Campus services information
  • Community resource information
  • Volunteer opportunities

Campus Updates for Students and Employees

  • Leave and Work Provisions related to Hurricane Helene: The Office of State Human Resources has approved additional flexibilities to assist with Hurricane Helene relief efforts. The UNC System shared revised guidance on Oct. 10, 2024. Review a summary of the updates.

  • Benefits Open Enrollment for employees extended through Nov. 1: Open Enrollment has been extended through Friday, Nov. 1 for members located in impacted North Carolina counties. Visit Human Resources’s Open Enrollment webpage for more information, including appointments for assistance and drop-in hours.

  • Payroll update: All employees, including student employees, will be paid by the originally scheduled pay dates.

    • Semi-Monthly student and temporary employees (pay period Oct. 1–15):
      • Time entry deadline: 12 p.m., Monday, Oct. 21
      • Timesheet approval deadline: 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 21

    • Monthly faculty and staff:
      • Time entry and approval for MN/SHRA payroll (pay period Sept. 16–Oct. 15): 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 21
      • Leave report submission and approval for ME/EPS payroll (pay period Sept. 1–30): 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 21

    For assistance with pending or incomplete time entries after the deadline, contact Lori Cornell (Payroll Director) at [email protected].
  • Return to teaching and learning: The Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning for Student Success (CETLSS) shared Resources for the Return Teaching and Learning with faculty earlier this week.

    • No academic work should be assigned to students ahead of the resumption of classes on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

    • Instructors are planning for changes to syllabi. The Course Adjustment Guide is available to help instructors modify courses if needed.

  • The Office of the Dean of Students provides individualized support and case management for all students, including support for parents and families, off-campus student resources and student veteran services.

  • View or print App State’s 2024-25 Academic Calendar for key, upcoming academic dates. 
  • The university map, which includes the Boone and Hickory campuses, is regularly updated and includes health and safety information, recreation facilities and more.

Counseling resources for students and employees

  • Students: Counseling and Psychological Services will offer in-person and online Let’s Talk Drop-in consultations for students during Fall Break:

    Any student experiencing an urgent mental health concern should call the Counseling Center at 828-262-3180 and select the option to speak with the counselor on call. For additional mental health resources, including emergency services, visit the Counseling and Psychological Services website.

  • Employees: Contact Counseling for Faculty and Staff at 828-262-4951 for support, referrals or to schedule a counseling appointment.

  • Anyone experiencing a mental health emergency should call 988 or Daymark Recovery Services Crisis Line at 866-275-9552 (Boone) or Catawba Valley Healthcare Mobile Crisis Management 828-695-2511 (Hickory).

Boone Campus Operations

  • Belk Library and Information Commons will be open Monday, Oct. 15—Tuesday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m.–9 p.m. Regular hours resume Wednesday, Oct. 16. 

  • Campus Dining is open with limited hours and locations. Visit Campus Dining's website for locations and hours beginning Wednesday, Oct. 16.

  • Campus Services (CS) Express will be open Monday, Oct. 15—Tuesday, Oct. 16, from 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Regular hours resume Wednesday, Oct. 16. CS Express will replace AppCards lost or damaged during Helene for free through Friday, Oct. 25.

  • Health Promotion for Faculty and Staffwill reopen Monday, Oct. 14 with limited hours and facilities.

    • Varsity Gym will be open Monday, Oct. 14—Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 7 a.m.–5 p.m. and group exercise classes will be held. Regular hours resume Wednesday, Oct. 16.

    • The Levine Hall gym will be closed Monday, Oct. 14—Tuesday, Oct. 15 and will reopen with regular hours Wednesday, Oct. 16.

  • IT Support Services will be open Monday, Oct. 14—Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. with limited services. Regular hours resume Wednesday, Oct. 16.

  • Mountaineer Safe Walk will resume Wednesday, Oct. 16.

  • Plemmons Student Union will be closed Saturday, Oct. 12—Sunday, Oct. 13 and open Monday, Oct. 14—Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 8 a.m. – 6 p.m. Regular hours resume Wednesday, Oct. 16.

  • Student Health Service will be closed Saturday, Oct. 12—Sunday, Oct. 13. The clinic will be open Monday, Oct. 14—Tuesday, Oct. 15, from 8–11 a.m. Regular hours will resume Wednesday, Oct. 16.

  • University Recreation (UREC) will be closed Saturday, Oct. 12 — Monday, Oct. 14. The Student Recreation Center and Mt. Mitchell Fitness Center will be open on Tuesday, Oct. 15 with limited hours. All UREC facilities will resume regular schedules Wednesday, Oct. 16.

  • Employees and students can park in any campus parking lot, including parking decks, through Tuesday, Oct. 15. Resume parking in designated lots, per your parking permit, by 7 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 16.

Hickory Campus Operations

The Hickory campus is closed and will reopen with regular hours Wednesday, Oct. 16. Regular hours are Monday through Thursday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m., and Friday, 7 a.m.–5 p.m.

Looking for more Hickory campus information? 

Community Recovery Resources and Updates

  • The American Red Cross closed its emergency shelter in Watauga County as of 10 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 10, and encourages members of the public who may need sheltering or other assistance to call 1-800-RED-CROSS (733-2767).

  • Visit the AppalCART website for current route maps and schedules — download the ETA SPOT app for real-time transit information.

  • AppHealthCare is open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.–4:45 p.m. and offers private well and spring water testing options and tetanus vaccines for those exposed to floodwater. Call 828-795-1970 or email [email protected].

  • Crisis Cleanup: Call 844-965-1386 for help getting items to the road for pickup.

  • Visit New River Light and Power’s website for power restoration updates, an outage map and information about disconnecting service.

  • The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Mobile Veterans Assistance Center is available to all veterans and their families in the community. The mobile unit will be available outside the Holmes Convocation Center on Friday, Oct. 11—Sunday, Oct. 13, from 9 a.m.–3 p.m.

  • Volunteer and donation opportunities are listed on the university’s Disaster Relief Resources page.

Additional community resources
Boone Chamber Watauga County Resource Information • Town of Boone Hurricane Helene Resources and Services • UNC Health Appalachian Hurricane Helene Information Updates

Campus Safety

App State Police Department

  • In an emergency, call 911 or App State Police at 828-262-8000 for the fastest, most reliable means of getting emergency assistance on campus in Boone or Hickory — 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round.

  • The App State Police non-emergency phone number is 828-262-2150.
  • If you have not already done so, add App State Police to your mobile phone contacts.

Emergency preparedness

Campus resources
Academic Affairs • App Cares Resources • App State Disaster Relief Resources •  Campus Dining • Information Technology Services • Mountaineer Food Hub & Free Store • Office of Access and Equity: Disability Resources • University Events Scheduling and Communications • University Libraries • University Map • University Post Office • University Recreation

Resources for students
Career Development Center • Case Management • Counseling & Psychological Services • Off-Campus Student Services • Office of the Dean of Students • Student Health Service • Student Learning Center • Student Success • University Housing
Wellness and Prevention Services

Resources for employees
Counseling for Faculty and Staff • Employee Assistance Program • Health Promotion for Faculty and Staff • Office of Human Resources • University Ombuds Office