Emergency Closing and Snow-Related Policies and Resources

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With winter approaching, Jeffrey Hescock, executive director of Environmental Health and Safety and Emergency Management, recommends that all faculty and staff be aware of the following information related to severe weather, including announcements, parking rules, staggered departure procedures and related time and attendance policies.

Campus Closing or Delay

• Employees designated as essential personnel will be required to report to work. Your supervisor is responsible for informing you if your position has been designated as essential for this purpose.
• Scheduled face-to-face classes will not take place on the physical campus, but at faculty discretion, they may be transitioned to a remote class. Please consult your email and messaging from Canvas/Moodle/Blackboard for each class.
• Remote classes will be held as usual. In the rare cases where the remote class is ordinarily taught from an on-campus location, consult your email and messaging from Canvas/Moodle/Blackboard for information about possible class cancellation by your instructor.

Emergency Closing Information Resources

• For a summary of severe closing weather information, including radio and TV stations that broadcast closing announcements, visit the Inclement Weather Procedures website.
• For park smart tips for snow days, visit the Parking Snow Policy.
• For inclement weather and related time and attendance policies, visit the memo from Human Resources for details.
• For Winter Weather Preparedness Tips please visit the Winter Weather Preparedness website.
• Further information about campus closing / delays can found at www.umass.edu/closing.

When the governor issues an order to close state executive offices in response to a severe winter weather advisory or alert, university officials take into account the governor’s decision in relation to local conditions and community safety. There may be times when regional weather conditions will allow the campus to remain open.

UMass Amherst Alerts Emergency Text Messaging System

UMass Amherst Alerts Emergency Text messaging system is one of the primary methods the university will use to notify the campus community of an ongoing or imminent campus emergency, including weather-related closures. It is important to receive these time-critical emergency notifications. To register for these emergency notifications, visit the UMass Amherst Alerts website.