West Virginia University students will head to class when the new semester begins on Monday, Jan. 11. It’s a sign that spring is just around the corner – but not quite yet. While conditions have remained relatively mild in recent weeks, winter weather is settling in on the region.

Under WVU’s weather emergency procedures, the University Police officer in charge when snow or ice starts to accumulate is responsible for contacting campus officials and local and state agencies to inquire about road conditions and weather forecasts.

Any decision to cancel classes – or to close the University or a regional campus or office – will then be made after several University officials have consulted on the condition of campus roads and grounds as well as conditions in the vicinity. Please note that a declaration of a weather emergency by the governor does not automatically close WVU campuses or offices.

WVU Extension Services will follow its internal inclement weather policy, which can be found at http://humanresources.ext.wvu.edu/inclement-weather-policy.

Rarely does the University close entirely; however there are times when classes may be delayed or canceled while the University remains open, said Narvel Weese, WVU’s vice president of administration and finance. In these cases, many units remain operational, including dining and residence hall services, roads and grounds crews, libraries and others. Units such as these are reminded to review their emergency internal operating procedures.

If officials do decide to cancel classes or close the University, students and employees will be informed through many outlets, including:

• The WVU emergency text message system. (To sign up for the emergency message system, go to http://emergency.wvu.edu/signup.)

WVU’s main Web page (http://www.wvu.edu).

• WVUToday (http://wvutoday.wvu.edu).

• E-News (e-mail announcements).

MIX e-mail.

WVU Students (students.wvu.edu)

• Traditional and social media such as @WVUToday and @WestVirginiaU on Twitter or WVUMountaineers on Facebook, etc.

In the event of a cancellation, WVUToday will be updated regularly with notices about special operating hours for facilities such as the Libraries, Student Recreation Center, Mountainlair and PRT and buses.

Academic Affairs officials also remind students and employees to exercise good judgment when venturing out.

“Students should notify their professors, and employees their supervisors, if they are unable to come to class or work,” Provost Joyce McConnell said. “In return, we ask professors and supervisors to be understanding in these instances. Supervisors should consult with department chairs or Human Resources officials if questions arise.”

McConnell also urges faculty to notify their students in the event of an individual class cancelation. “We don’t want students out on the road trying to make it to a class that is not being held,” she said.

The Division of Human Resources reminds supervisors that, unless the University is closed, employees who do not work their scheduled shift may take annual leave, compensatory time off or – at the supervisors’ discretion – be permitted to make up those hours. To access that policy go to: http://classcomp.hr.wvu.edu/resourcesandguidelines/inclement_weather_emergency_closures.

If they haven’t already done so, supervisors should inform their staff members who are considered emergency personnel during a facility closure that they would be expected to report to work during a facility/campus closure if at all possible.

-WVU-

ak/01/08/16

CONTACT: University Relations
304.293.6997

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.