If you’re on the Indiana University Bloomington campus on April 8, you’ll have a front-row seat to view the total solar eclipse. With all in-person classes canceled and numerous on-campus events to enjoy, you might have questions about what’s open, where you can park or how to find eclipse glasses.
Read on to find out what you need to know for eclipse weekend and visit eclipse.iu.edu for more information.
Events
Bring the kids to Science Fest on April 6 for some out-of-this-world educational fun, or watch the stars among stars like Janelle Monae and William Shatner at the Hoosier Cosmic Celebration on April 8.
Numerous events are planned for the whole weekend to celebrate this rare stellar experience.>
Safety
Eye protection
Protecting your eyes while viewing partial phases of the eclipse is a must. If you want to purchase your own eclipse glasses, check the American Astronomical Society’s list of safe suppliers.
IU will distribute a limited number of eclipse glasses across its campuses ahead of and on April 8. Find out where you can find them.
Personal preparedness
Bloomington is expecting thousands of visitors to arrive over eclipse weekend, which means events, businesses and roads will be crowded. Make sure your IU Notify contact information is up to date, so you’ll receive alerts from IU in an emergency.
Plan ahead for traffic gridlock by filling your tank or charging your vehicle and packing snacks, water and an emergency kit. Remember to report suspicious behavior or criminal activity to the IU Police Department.
For emergencies that pose immediate danger to you or others, call 911. For non-emergencies, call 855-603-7911.
Phone and Wi-Fi disruptions
With the anticipated load on cell networks, faculty, staff and students are encouraged to enable Wi-Fi calling on their phones. Whether at home or on campus, this will allow you to make calls and bypass predicted heavy usage of cell services on April 8.
Parking and transportation
Available parking
Plan ahead for parking if you intend to join eclipse events on April 8. Parking passes for the athletic lots around Memorial Stadium can be reserved online. By 6 p.m. April 5, vehicles in athletic parking lots north of 17th street should be moved.
All IU garages will be reserved on April 8 for employees working on campus, including reassigned staff. Specific placards may be requested by HR representatives or supervisors through the IU Bloomington Office of Parking Operations, but any type of IU parking pass will allow employees who are working to park in any garage on April 8.
IU parking lots are not guaranteed to be available on April 8. Employees may attempt to park in these lots but they may be full, and normal parking operations will not be conducted.
Get more information about parking during the eclipse from the Office of Parking Operations.
Campus Bus Service
Campus Bus will offer service from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. April 8; however, service may be suspended if the buses are unable to move through their routes due to heavy traffic. Check Instagram and Facebook for updates on the day of the eclipse.
Health and wellness
First-aid and information stations
For those attending on-campus events, IU Public Safety will have first-aid and information stations at McNutt circle drive, Wells Library and Lauren Robel Plaza. They will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. for anyone who has questions or needs help on April 8.
Student Health Center
The IU Student Health Center will be open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. April 8 to provide walk-in support for students with mild but urgent issues. Medical care will also be available via telehealth during this time.
Counseling and Psychological Services
If students need crisis intervention, call the Counseling and Psychological Services main office line, and a staff member will follow up by phone for telehealth services. TimelyCare, free, 24/7 access to virtual care and well-being services, is also available for students.
Employees will also continue to have access to SupportLinc Employee Assistance Program, free, 24/7 access to professional counseling, resources and referrals.
Food and dining
Some on-campus dining options will be available. Find more details on the IU Dining and Indiana Memorial Union restaurants pages.
If you need to work on campus, bringing your own meals, snacks and drinks is recommended so you can avoid leaving campus or having food delivered, as traffic may be heavy. Given that it may take several hours to leave campus after your shift, employees should also consider bringing additional meals/snacks beyond what they normally would.
