Dear UO students,
As the first day of fall term approaches, many of you or your family members may be traveling to the Eugene area. As you may be aware, the recent wildfires throughout Oregon have caused massive evacuations across the state, including here in Lane County. As a result, many evacuees—people who have lost everything—are being housed in local hotels and short stays.
The University of Oregon fully supports the need for those evacuees to continue their stays. Earlier this week the UO, through Travel Lane County, proactively asked local hotels to give priority to wildfire evacuees.
This means many previously existing reservations had to be canceled. Any student or family member with reservations in the area in the next few weeks should immediately contact the hotel or short stay to confirm their reservation or see if it has been canceled.
We urge you, if your travel and hotel plans are disrupted, to treat the displaced persons and the hotel staff with compassion, patience, and understanding in this unimaginably difficult time for them. We are very sorry for any inconvenience.
University officials are working with Travel Lane County, local hotels, the American Red Cross, state officials and Travel Oregon to ensure that arriving students and their families have accommodations that do not disrupt evacuees. Students and their families who need alternative accommodations for move-in should review Travel Lane County’s Hotel and Lodging list for suggestions. For more information, please contact Travel Lane County at 541-484-5307 or the Cascades Region of the Red Cross.
If you have questions over the weekend, UO employees are available by text at 503-751-8990 for this issue. During business hours Monday through Friday, please call 541-346-7007 to speak with a university representative.
Remember, many of these evacuees may have lost their homes, their possessions, and in some cases, loved ones. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding at this time. If you are coming to campus soon, we look forward to welcoming you and those traveling with you.
Please travel safely.
Sincerely,
The University of Oregon
