Academic Policies

34: Guidelines Governing College Operations during Periods of Inclement or Dangerous Weather Conditions or Other Weather-Related Emergencies

Introduction

These guidelines described below reaffirm the college's commitment to the safety of faculty, staff, and students and its recognition that many commuter students must travel up to two hours to meet teaching and learning commitments at the Harrisburg campus

The primary function of the college is to provide a full semester of high-quality instruction during the academic year. These guidelines describe how the Harrisburg campus will notify faculty, staff, and students if inclement or dangerous weather occurs or develops prior to and/or during the normal business day.

The determination of such conditions will be made by the Chancellor in consultation with Police Services and Maintenance and Operations and will be based on definitions and announcements from the Department of Transportation, state and local police agencies, and other public officials using data provided by local and national weather services. While the conditions in specific locales may vary, such local conditions may not apply uniformly to the entire region. The college will endeavor to meet its dual responsibility of conducting classes and managing the safety of its students, staff, and faculty during hazardous weather conditions in the region.

General Guidelines

When the Chancellor makes the decision to close the Harrisburg campus or delay the start of classes, the regional media will be notified at least two hours prior to the standard 8:00 a.m. reporting time for staff and before the start of the earliest scheduled class. The announcement will apply to all classes for the period affected, that is, morning, afternoon, or evening according to the specific scripts shown below.

The college will make its announcement in the following ways:

  1. The college's web page will carry a message regarding the status of classes.
  2. The university's email system will also be used to notify email subscribers about the weather emergency.
  3. An announcement will be placed on the college's AUDIX telephone system. All employees can access the system by calling the 948-6495 number and following the same directions they normally use to access their messages.
  4. Messages will be placed on the 948-6000 and 948-6029 numbers. If the technical arrangements can be made, each of these numbers will be programmed to allow simultaneous and multiple access for external callers.

Principles Governing Faculty Practices

If faculty make personal decisions to cancel classes during inclement weather, each instructor must discuss any weather-related arrangements in advance with the students preferably at the beginning of the semester. This discussion should include information about the rescheduling of any cancelled classes and/or alternative means of ensuring that students receive a full semester of instruction in spite of any weather-related cancellations.

If a faculty member cancels a class, he/she must notify students through telephone trees, email lists, instant messaging, or any other appropriate means. These arrangements, which must be approved in writing by the School Director, should appear in the course syllabus.

Faculty must also notify the School's staff assistants, who will inform the School Director. Such information is essential should students call the campus. Faculty should not ask the staff assistants to telephone students.

The best notification strategy is for faculty to access the college's voice mail system and leave a message at their office number. Students should be instructed to call the faculty member's office phone, which can be programmed with a message for students. Those programming instructions are available from the staff assistants in each School.

To assist students who travel a significant distance for classes, any such cancellation notices should be programmed, if possible, no later than two hours prior to the beginning of the class period.

Those faculty using ANGEL or personal web pages to communicate regularly with students should also consider including a statement about weather related cancellations or delays in all such communications.

Principles Governing Student Practices

If students notify the School offices that they are unable to travel to class because of weather conditions, faculty members should help students make up the missed work.

Principles Governing Staff Practices

With the exception of essential employees, who have been informed of their status by letter, all other staff should follow the same instructions that apply to students. Staff should know the specific meanings of the scripts shown below and follow the instructions carefully. If a staff member believes that he/she is in any danger, each employee should exercise her/his own good judgment about reporting to work. However, each staff member should understand the implications of personal decisions and follow the directions provided in Human Resources Guideline 10 "Handling 'Weather Day' Absences" or Official University Closedowns Due to Weather Conditions."

Interpreting the Various Scripts Used by Media Outlets

Penn State Harrisburg will do everything it can to deliver clear and concise messages to the media. The number of statements noted in previous weather policies has been reduced to a minimum: the campus is open, is closed, or will open/close at a specific time. All faculty, staff, and students are expected to familiarize themselves with the specific phrases and their meanings. The common phrases are indicated below.

  1. Campus will open at (time will be indicated) — This statement applies to all but essential employees. Classes scheduled to begin prior to the time indicated will be rescheduled at another time. All classes starting after the time indicated will be held. Staff should report at the time indicated.
  2. Campus will close at (time will be indicated) — All operations after the closing time will be terminated. All but essential employees will be authorized to leave at the time indicated.
  3. Campus is Closed.Only essential staff should report.

Please note that some media outlets release only minimal information and may use terminology different from Penn State's. The official Penn State information will be found on the various electronic systems [web, AUDIX, and email] noted above. Most media operators use computer systems with limited memory and often remove critical weather information after a few hours. Please pay careful attention to the broadcast media and check different outlets if you have any questions about the weather situation at the Harrisburg campus.

Media Outlets Offering Weather Information

Last updated: Dec. 22, 2006

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