Notice about political rally on campus

UPDATE 10/8/2010 9:20AM - Clarification: Pedestrian access on the west side of Pacific is closed at the base of the stairs and the crosswalk at 19th is closed. Pedestrians must cross the street at 21st or 17th.

UPDATE 10/8/2010 9:07AM - Pedestrian access on the west side of Pacific Avenue is open again. Access to Academic building is now through both east and west doors of WCG. The entry to GWP next to the bookstore is closed.

UPDATE 10/8/2010 8:05AM - Pedestrian access to the west side of Pacific Avenue (the campus side) is closed. The only entry and exit point to the Academic building (GWP/BB/BHS/WCG) is now the west door of WCG (next to the Joy building).

UPDATE 10/8/2010 7:14AM - The Link light rail will be running until 10:30AM. It will not run at all between 10:30 and approximately 1PM.

UPDATE: 10/7/2010 2:00PM - Access to the Keystone building is now restricted to the skybridge from the Science building only. Map and PDF have been updated.

On Friday, Oct. 8, a political rally for Sen. Patty Murray will be held on our campus. This brings a tremendous amount of national visibility to our campus. As a public university, it is our mission to provide opportunities for the community to be well informed on public issues. In this time of political campaigns, we are performing a public service.

Although the rally will be somewhat disruptive, we are still open for business. Classes will be held as scheduled.

A large number of people are expected to attend the rally. Because one of the speakers is Vice President Joe Biden, certain steps are being taken to ensure his safety and security, as well as the safety and security of everyone else on campus. This will cause some disruptions to our normal routines. It will also require that some entrances to buildings be closed before and during the rally.

The main thing to remember is to expect some disruptions. Please be flexible and patient.

All academic buildings will be open and accessible and will operate normally, with a minimum of disruption between 7 a.m. and mid-afternoon on Friday. All classes and activities will go on as usual. We do have to walk around the rally, which will be in the center of campus on the grand staircase. We can walk around the rally and still get to where we need to go. Directional signs will be posted and people will be stationed by the doors to direct you to alternate building access points.

The Secret Service and the Tacoma Police Department are in charge of public streets and public transportation. Their plans are subject to change, and we do not always get this information quickly.

There will be many uniformed police officers, campus safety officers, fire fighters and other emergency personnel on campus. In the event of an emergency, we are in good hands.

A map of the rally area showing alternative entries is can be downloaded here (PDF). Here are some additional details.

Transportation

• The Link light rail will not be in service from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Check the Link “Rider Alert” page for up-to-date information, www.soundtransit.org, or call 253.405.5950.
• Buses in the area will be rerouted. Check www.piercetransit.org  and click on “Detours and Rider Alerts” and then on “All Downtown Tacoma Buses,” or call 253.606.4626.

Rally information

• The rally will be set up in the center of campus on the grand staircase from Pacific up to Jefferson Street. Temporary fences will be set up around this area, as shown on the map.
• The entry point for attendees is at the top of the stairs on Jefferson Street, where they will go through security screening.

UW Tacoma employees

• UW Tacoma employees are not working for this rally, with the exception of those whose job it is to work with events on our campus.
• Employees who want to attend the rally must do so on their own time, such as during their normal lunch time or on leave time.

Building access

• Only Philip Hall and Walsh Gardner (WG) will be closed to the public.
• The computer lab in Walsh Gardner (WG 108) will move to Cherry Parkes (CP 005). No laptop checkout is available but students can return or renew laptops in CP 005.
• The doors to buildings next to the stairs will be closed. Security officers and ambassadors from the rally will be stationed there. There will be directional signs on the doors that are closed. Most other doors to the buildings will be open as usual.
• For the Academic Building, the doors to Garretson Woodruff Pratt (GWP), Birmingham Block (BB) and Birmingham Hay and Seed (BHS) facing Commerce Street will be closed. To enter the Academic Building, go to the doors in West Coast Grocery (WCG) by the convenience store, the doors next to the University Book Store on Pacific, or the doors to WCG between the Dragonfly store and South Sound Running Retail.
• To access the Keystone Building use the skybridge from the Science Building.
• The skybridge will be open, but no one will be allowed to stand there. Officers will be on hand to keep everyone moving.
• To enter the Science Building, go in any doors on the east, north or west (Jefferson) sides. The doors on the south side, by the staircase, will be closed.
• Metro Coffee in the Tioga Building will be accessible by the front entrance, as usual.
• The Library will be open as usual, accessible by the front entrance.
• Dougan, Cherry Parkes and McDonald Smith (MDS) will be open as usual.

Parking and street closures

• The ADA parking spaces near Cherry Parkes will be temporarily suspended. ADA parking is available at the Dougan Building. C1 and C2 permit holders can park in the Cragle lot.
• The Cragle parking lot will be closed to the public except for C1 and C2 permits. All other campus parking lots should be accessible to the public, although we do expect them to be in high demand. This is subject to change.
• There will be no vehicular traffic or parking on Pacific Avenue from S. 17th Street to S. 21st Street.
• There will be no vehicular traffic or parking on Jefferson Street between Pacific and Market Street.
• There will be no parking on S. 21st between Pacific Avenue and Market Street.
• There will be no parking on S. 17th St. between Pacific and Market Street.
• It is likely there will be no vehicular traffic or parking on Market St. between S. 17th Street and S. 21st Street.
• Traffic and parking availability may be interrupted during the day, and is subject to change.