Adverse Weather Conditions (IV.A.6)

Volume ­­IV: Facilities and Safety
Chapter A: Safety
Responsible Executive: President
Responsible Office: Office of the Senior Vice President for Administrative Operations
Date Issued: November 1, 2011
Date Last Revised: January 15, 2024

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Contacts
Statement of Policy
Reason for This Policy
Individuals and Entities Affected by This Policy
Exclusions
Responsibilities
Definitions (defined terms are capitalized throughout the document)
Related Documents, Forms and Tools
Website Address for This Policy
History and Updates
Appendix

CONTACTS

STATEMENT OF POLICY

The University takes into consideration local and regional weather conditions, travel conditions and decisions by local school districts when deciding whether to delay, dismiss or cancel classes and/or routine operations for an entire campus due to Adverse Weather Conditions. When conditions warrant, a decision to delay, dismiss or cancel classes and/or routine operations is coordinated with appropriate local city, county or state officials and communicated to faculty, staff and students of the affected campus. The decision to delay, dismiss or cancel classes and/or routine operations for the West Lafayette campus is made by the President and for each of the Regional Campuses it is made by the Chancellor. The President and the Chancellors will each assign a designee for such purposes to act in his or her absence.

REASON FOR THIS POLICY

The purpose of this policy is to address Adverse Weather Conditions that affect University operations.

INDIVIDUALS AND ENTITIES AFFECTED BY THIS POLICY

All units, students, faculty and staff on all of the University’s campuses.

EXCLUSIONS

There are no exclusions from this policy.

RESPONSIBILITIES

President or Chancellor

• Make a decision to delay, dismiss or cancel classes and/or routine operations for their campus, as appropriate, and designate someone to make the decision in their absence.
• Outline specific procedures for their campus that provide instruction in the event of Adverse Weather Conditions, or designate responsibility for such.

Students, Faculty and Staff

• Take responsibility for situational awareness regarding current and predicted weather, especially with regard to appropriate clothing, walking paths and vehicular travel.
• Be familiar with the terminology used on weather bulletins broadcast on radio and television stations.
• Follow the procedures for Adverse Weather Conditions established by their campus.

Department or Unit Heads

• Designate Essential Personnel in their department/office.
• Ensure that procedures are in place to protect research, animals and other critical processes in the department, should the decision be made to delay, dismiss or cancel classes and/or routine operations on their campus.

Essential Personnel

• Stay on campus for all or part of the duration of the delay, dismissal or cancellation as directed by their supervisor in order to ensure the continuing operation of the University at the minimum necessary level.

Human Resources

• Distribute to all units specific pay practices for a delay, dismissal or cancellation due to Adverse Weather Conditions.

Business Offices

• Reimburse facilities that provide housing and/or meals to their department’s Essential Personnel during a delay, dismissal or cancellation.

DEFINITIONS

All defined terms are capitalized throughout the document. Additional defined terms may be found in the central Policy Glossary.

Adverse Weather Conditions
Existing or predicted temperatures and wind conditions; snow, ice or water accumulations; or tornadic or severe thunderstorm activity that pose a severe health threat to students, faculty and staff.

Essential Personnel
Personnel designated by a unit head as employees that are required in order to provide the minimum level of service on a campus (i.e., emergency services, utilities and provision of food and housing) and those needed to prevent irreparable damage to research and mechanical systems. Each affected unit head will designate Essential Personnel in their department and notify them annually and as needed of this designation.

Tornado Warning
An alert issued by the National Weather Service to indicate that a tornado has been sighted on radar or on the ground and poses a definite threat to a given area.

Tornado Watch
An alert issued by the National Weather Service when atmospheric conditions are favorable for the formation of tornadoes in a given area.

RELATED DOCUMENTS, FORMS AND TOOLS

Campus emergency preparedness websites:

• Fort Wayne
• Northwest
• West Lafayette

WEBSITE ADDRESS FOR THIS POLICY

www.purdue.edu/policies/facilities-safety/iva6.html

HISTORY AND UPDATES

January 15, 2024: Updated Responsible Office, Contacts, and links to emergency preparedness websites.

June 9, 2014: Policy converted to new template. Hyperlink in Related Documents, Forms and Tools section updated.

November 18, 2011: Policy number changed to IV.A.6 (formerly I.2.5) and website address updated.

November 1, 2011: This policy supersedes the Policy Relating to Adverse Weather Conditions - West Lafayette Campus (Executive Memorandum No. C-35). It is the first system-wide policy to address this issue.

December 12, 1994: The Policy Relating to Adverse Weather Conditions - West Lafayette Campus (Executive Memorandum No. C-35) superseded Executive Vice President and Treasurer

Memorandum No. A-7 and Memorandum No. A-26).

APPENDIX

There are no appendices to this policy.