Inclement Weather Policy

The Mountain State University Inclement Weather Policy is written with the utmost importance given to the safety of our students and employees. It is the goal of the University to remain open to serve our students unless we are unable to maintain our physical campus.

MSU serves an adult population, and we encourage them to exercise good judgment when deciding whether or not it is safe to travel during adverse weather conditions.

State of Emergency

A state of emergency may affect areas around MSU very differently and may remain in effect for as long as 30 days. This allows the governor the opportunity to provide aid and assistance for affected areas that otherwise would not be available. Therefore, a state of emergency does not necessarily mandate the cancellation of classes or the closing of the institution. All MSU class schedules relating to weather conditions will be available on the MSU web site, by calling the MSU switchboard, and on local public broadcasts.Institutional response to inclement weather will take the form of four protocols:

1. Normal class schedule.
2. Inclement Weather Schedule (faculty and staff report at regular time)
3. Cancellation of classes (faculty and staff report at regular time)

4. Closing of the institution (only essential employees will be required to work)*

Inclement Weather Schedule

The inclement weather schedule is designed for Monday through Thursday classes only. Friday and Saturday classes typically do not begin at 8:00 a.m. or they are scheduled late into the evening when it would be difficult to extend hours.

Procedure

The on duty Campus Safety Officer is required to carefully observe the weather and road conditions on the campus and the immediate surrounding area. If these conditions begin to take on the appearance of becoming dangerous or extreme, the officer then places calls regarding the current and anticipated road conditions and the pending forecast to:

• Department of Highways
  
• EOC (Emergency Operation Center)

If the two information sources called report negative conditions, the on duty Campus Safety Officer will contact the Director of Security and Campus Operations prior to 5:00 a.m. for day classes.The Director of Security and Campus Operations will:

1. Place the inclement weather schedule on the MSU web site
   
2. Contact the Director of Media and Public Relations for information release
   to the media sources (if unable to reach the Director, his/her designee will
   will be contacted)
   
3. Contact the Director of IT regarding the MSU telephone system advisement
   (if unable to reach the Director, his/her designee will be contacted)
   
4. Send notification to the Executive Vice President of Administration and
   the Vice President of the Beckley Campus

If an instructor cannot get to a campus based class due to weather conditions, it shall be up to the instructor to communicate with their supervisor and then contact their students. The instructor will at that point reschedule the class based on a time when the majority can attend.

Cancellation of Classes or Closing the Institution

The decision for cancellation of classes or closing of the institution shall be announced by 5:00 a.m. for day classes and 3:00 p.m. for evening classes.The Director of Security and Campus Operations will follow the procedure as outlined in the Inclement Weather Procedure and will additionally notify the MSU Manager of Human Resources.In instances of cancellation of classes or closing the Institution, only employees essential to the operation of the University will be required to work. As a general guideline, this will include Campus Safety staff and Physical Plant personnel. If students are in residence halls, the Food Service staff is also designated as essential. This list is not all-inclusive, and in the event that other departments are deemed necessary, administrators or managers will notify personnel in those areas.

*Note If the campus is open and an employee chooses not to attempt to travel to campus, the employee may be required to take vacation, personal, or unpaid leave.