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.
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/Director of 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 Facilities Management 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 Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Health Affairs, 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 Facilities Management will contact the Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Health Affairs who will inform the President of weather and road conditions and communicate subsequent decisions as described above.
B. University physicians, family practice and nursing 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 Chief Operating Officer and Vice President for Health Affairs. 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