EAST TENNESSEE STATE UNIVERSITY
SECTION:
PPP-28
SUBJECT:
Inclement Weather Policy
Click here for a printable brochure (PDF).
I.
General Statement
East Tennessee State University and its branch campuses will remain open during
periods of inclement weather even though classes may be canceled.
In accordance with TBR policy 5-01-01-11, at times it may be necessary for the University President to declare specific hours as emergency closing as the result of inclement weather or other emergency situations. In such cases, regular full-time and part-time ETSU employees on the active payroll who are scheduled to work during the declared times of closing will be granted time off from work with pay. Employees who are not scheduled to work will not be paid for the emergency closing. Employees who are required to work during periods of closure will be paid in accordance with the pay provisions of PPP-66, Emergency Closure, Compensation Rates.
If an emergency closing has not been declared due to inclement weather and an
employee is prevented from reporting to work for his/her normally scheduled
working hours, annual leave or leave without pay will be charged; or, the
employee may be allowed, with institutional approval, to make up the time lost.
Regular part-time employees will be affected on a pro rata basis in each of the
provisions listed above.
Faculty, administrators and staff of ETSU are expected to make every reasonable
effort to be at their work assignment on time, taking into consideration the
personal risk involved. Administrators or staff employees who anticipate
arriving late, or not arriving at work at all, should notify their immediate
supervisor of this fact as soon as possible and request annual leave for the
period of absence. If faculty members must be absent from assigned classes due
to inclement weather, it is their responsibility to notify the appropriate
chairperson and/or dean.
Students are responsible for any academic work that they miss as a result of
inclement weather. It is the individual student's responsibility to take the
initiative in making up any missed work, and it is the faculty's responsibility
to provide students a reasonable opportunity to make up missed work.
II.
Procedures for Canceling Classes
In those instances when weather conditions require a decision by the President
of the university to authorize canceling classes, delaying the start of classes
or suspending selected activities, the following procedures will be in effect:
A. The
Associate Vice President for Facilities Management and the Associate Vice
President for Public Safety will monitor official weather reports; contact
appropriate state, county, and local public safety officials; and check local
roads for hazardous driving conditions. They will evaluate campus roads,
walkways and parking lot conditions. Following consultation, the Associate Vice
President for Public Safety will advise the Vice President for Finance and
Administration of their findings. After receiving this information, the
Vice President for Finance and Administration will inform the President. If the
President acts to alter the university schedule, the Vice President for Finance
and Administration will then inform the Vice President for Health Affairs/COO,
the Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Vice President for
University Advancement. The Vice President for Finance and Administration will
notify the Executive Director of University Relations for appropriate news media
notification, and OIT to post an announcement on the ETSU Alert page and to
notify the Campus Switchboard. A recorded voice message will be activated for
the University Switchboard and University Center Information lines. (Prerecorded
scenarios will be available for activation depending on the scenario of closing
for the university.) An inclement weather brochure has been developed that
provides various closing statements and what it means for the university
community. The brochure can be viewed
here.
If the Vice President for Finance and Administration is unavailable, the
Associate Vice President for Public Safety will contact the Vice President for
Health Affairs/COO who will inform the President of weather and road conditions
and communicate subsequent decisions as described above.
B.
University physicians and family practice clinics will remain open except under
extraordinary conditions. Medical students and residents will report for
clinical responsibilities as they are able. The decision to close clinics
and cancel College of Medicine classes will be made by the President, or
designee, upon a recommendation from the Dean of the Quillen College of Medicine
through the Vice President for Health Affairs/COO. The decision to cancel
experiential assignments and/or College of Pharmacy classes will be made by the
President, or designee, upon a recommendation from the Dean of the College of
Pharmacy through the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Health
Affairs. Nursing clinics in city and county school systems will follow the
schedule of the school system.
C. The decision to cancel some or all classes should be made and announced as
soon as possible to accommodate faculty and students who commute to the main
campus or the university centers. When circumstances require canceling classes
beginning with the first period class, this recommendation should be submitted
to the President as early as possible, preferably by 5:00 a.m. but not later
than 5:30 a.m. In all other cases, the recommendations will be submitted as soon
as practicable. Notice of the decision to cancel some or all classes will be
transmitted by the Vice President for Finance and Administration to the Office
of University Relations. The staff of the Office of University Relations will be
responsible for notifying the following in the order listed:
· Radio/TV
stations in the area serving the university. WETS-FM (89.5 FM) will
announce the official university cancellation information at least every 30
minutes for an appropriate period of time.
The Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs will notify all academic deans.
III.
Implementing
Instructions
A. The
Vice Presidents will develop detailed procedures for implementing this policy
within their areas of responsibility.
B. Deans
and Directors will disseminate the information contained in this policy to all
personnel within their respective areas of responsibility and ensure compliance
with the guidelines.
C.
University School will follow the Johnson City School System’s weather policy,
unless Johnson City is not in session. When this occurs, University School
follows any ETSU schedule changes.
D.
Off campus sites and cohort programs meeting in school or community college
facilities will follow the snow closure policies of the local school system or
community college in which the class is held.
E.
The
Vice Provost and Chief Student Affairs Officer will disseminate this information
annually to all students.
F.
All personnel are to be informed that ETSU the Alert Page and WETS-FM (89.5 FM)
will announce the official university cancellation information. University
personnel should be encouraged to refrain from using ETSU 911 or 439-4480
emergency numbers for inquiries concerning weather or closure status of the
university.
G.
Weekend classes and campus closures will be subject to schedule alterations in
accord with the tenets of this policy.
Source: Official Inclement Weather Policy, revised, signed and authorized by the
University President March 1, 1996. Updated to reflect administrative
title changes March 1, 2001. Updated and approved by Senior Staff:
November 10, 2003. Updated and approved by Senior Staff: January 22,
2007. Updated and approved by Senior Staff November 30, 2007. Updated and
approved by Senior Staff June 30, 2008 to include reference to Compensation
Rates for Non Exempt Emergency Crew Employees.