To Members of the Sophia Community (students, faculty, friends)
Thank you for joining us in our deep condolences for the loss and suffering resulting from the earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear plant crisis. We have received many messages of sympathy and support from friends and partners all over the world, and we feel greatly encouraged and thankful for all your thoughts and prayers.
　
We understand that many of you are concerned about the new semester and the situation in Tokyo, and we would like to update you on these issues.
　
Academic Schedule
　　　　　　　Classes will begin from Thursday, April 14 as scheduled.
　
For Current students
There is no change to the guidance, orientation, and course advising scheduled from March 30. Any change in plan will be announced through the intranet, LOYOLA and the university official website .
　
For New students
The Orientation Camp, an overnight event, will be cancelled because the camp grounds lie within the areas with rolling electricity outage. The orientation for new students, previously scheduled from Friday, April 1, will begin on Monday, April 4 instead. Detailed schedule and announcements will be updated on the university website.
We also regret greatly that we have to cancel the entrance ceremony on April 4 at the Tokyo International Forum. This is in response to the devastation in the disaster-struck areas and the shortage of electricity. We are very sorry that you have to make this sacrifice and we seek your understanding and cooperation.
　
Because of the shortage of electricity, we have requested students to stay home from March 12 to 29. All club activities on campus have been suspended, and students are advised to refrain from continuing club activities off campus. Campus facilities (library, computer labs, the bookshop and cafeteria) are closed until March 29th.
　
Update on Tokyo
The Tokyo area experienced fairly strong tremors on March 11 and a number of aftershocks. The majority of buildings, roads, and other social infrastructure remain intact. The university has extensively worked on the reinforcement of campus buildings since 2007, and the damage to our campus facilities is limited and no injuries have been reported.
　
While our campus in the centrally located Chiyoda ward is not affected by the rolling power outages, certain parts of the greater Tokyo area experience power outages for about three hours each day. Public transportation, including trains, subways, and buses are in operation, but in response to the shortage of electricity, the frequency of operation is scaled down by 10-30%, and some express trains are not in operation.
　
Most shops, restaurants, and businesses in the Tokyo area are in operation, some at reduced hours for energy conservation. There are food and supplies for daily life in the stores, and health facilities are also functioning normally.
Roads remain open in Tokyo areas, even though many roads have been damaged in northern Japan. Commercial flights have resumed at all major airports in Japan, except Sendai Airport, and commercial seats continue to be available.
The situation at the Fukushima No. 1 Nuclear Facility (about 250km from Tokyo) remains unstable. The levels of radioactivity throughout Japan are carefully monitored by the Japanese government and international agencies. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) both indicate that levels of radiation measured in the Tokyo area remain well below international levels considered dangerous to human health.
　
Our Commitment to the Sophia community
We will do our utmost to maintain an educational environment that is safe for the Sophia community. We are closely monitoring the situation, are making contingency plans, and will do our best to keep everyone fully informed of any development. Despite the challenges, we are looking forward the beginning of a new academic year.

Sophia University