The University has clarified when it will close or delay classes and administrative offices because of inclement weather, publishing policy guidelines for the first time this fall.
Senior Vice President for Corporation Affairs and University Governance Russell Carey '91 MA'06, who drafted the statement, said the rules for reacting to inclement weather were finalized over the summer. Faculty, administrative staff, students , Facilities Management staff and campus public safety officers were all asked to give input on the regulations, he said.
The written statement, which formalizes policies that were already informally in place, will bring consistency to the University's responses and will help to eliminate problems with communication, said Provost David Kertzer '69 P'95 P'98.
According to Carey, a major storm last March brought to his attention the need for better communication and greater transparency in dealing with weather-related delays and closings.
When the snowstorm hit overnight, "people didn't anticipate it," Carey said, adding that as a result there was a "delay of administrative offices openings and confusion about what it meant for classes," he said.
The idea is try to be as clear as possible, he said.
Kertzer agreed that the "policies weren't as clear as they should be, as publicized as they should be."
According to the policy, while cancellation of classes will be avoided if at all possible, "members of the faculty who deem it unsafe to get to or from the campus may, at their sole discretion, choose to cancel their own class(es). Faculty doing so are responsible for notifying their students directly."
A University-wide cancellation of classes due to weather has not occurred in at least 10 years, according to Kertzer.
So when exactly might the University cancel classes?
"Obviously it depends on weather," Carey said.
