Staff Newsletter
Staff Senate
Points to Ponder: Review
of UW Procedures for Severe Weather Closures, Delayed Openings, and Early Closures
Now that it’s officially winter and severe weather is more than likely to be
in the forecast, we wanted to review the University of Wyoming’s established
procedures for determining whether severe weather warrants delayed opening,
early closure, or total closure of the UW campus.
The procedures, courtesy of Environmental Health and Safety and Mark
Collins, VP of Operations, are as follows:
- Communication protocol established
between UW Administration and UW Communications Office.
- Monitor weather conditions and area
closures & cancellations on an hourly basis.
- Ongoing review of all updated
weather forecasts and satellite
information from NOAA (National Weather Service), Weather Channel, WYDOT and UW Atmospheric
Sciences.
- Communication link established with
Superintendent’s Office at Albany County School District (communication updates
begin 5:00 A.M. – 5:30 A.M.).
- Snow removal and infrastructure updates
from UW Physical Plant.
- Current weather condition updates and reports from UW PD and local law
enforcement
- Updates from Transit and Parking
Services on status of bus fleet, road conditions.
- AVP Operations provides
recommendation to VP for Administration and President ’s Office.
- AVP Operations provides official
weather notification to UW Communications Office (before 6:00 A.M.).
- UW Communications will issue
announcements via text alert messages,
campus e-mail broadcast, color-coded
message on UW home page, notification to UW phone operators, communication to
Wyoming Public Radio, messages to local radio stations & electronic media and
periodic updates to state officials in Cheyenne.
- Monitor weather conditions for
potential cancellation of UW Athletic events, Fine Arts programs and UW student -
sponsored special events
You
can view the original document outlining UW Procedures for Severe Weather Closures, Delayed
Openings or Early Closures here.