95.21 - University Closures

December 14, 2010

A. General. In the event of a reported emergency or a weather-related emergency, or if an emergency situation appears imminent, any member of the Incident Command (IC) staff (see University of Idaho’s Emergency Management Plan, Section VII) can convene as many members of the IC staff that are available to: 1) assess the situation; 2) determine the level of response necessary; and 3) make a recommendation to the President or designated senior officer for taking the appropriate action. The action could include the cancellation of classes and/or the closure of a University facility, site or campus.

A-1. Authority. When conditions necessitate, UI facilities may be ordered closed or their opening may be delayed for a period of time. The decision to close or delay opening a UI facility is at the discretion of the president of the University or the president’s designee.

i) In the event the president is not available to make a decision regarding closure, the authority lies with the provost. [ed. 12-10]

ii) In the event neither the president nor the provost is available to make a decision regarding closure, the authority lies with the vice president of finance and administration. [ed. 12-10]

A-2. President’s Determination. It is the president’s responsibility to determine whether to close any or all facilities at locations around the State. The president may delegate his authority to close, cancel classes, or postpone the opening of an Outreach Center to the dean of the Outreach Center.

A-3. Supervisor Jurisdiction. Individual departments and divisions do not have independent authority to make decisions concerning University closures, postponements and/or cancellations; however, supervisors do have the authority to approve requests from employees who wish early release from work due to severe weather conditions. (See FSH 3470)

B. Types of Closure. The president or his/her designee may combine any of the following options when responding to conditions:

B-1. Postponement of classes for a specified period of time.

B-2. Postponement of opening one or more facilities for a specified period of time.

B-3. Cancellation of classes – Classes are suspended, but all operations and offices of the University continue on their normal schedule.

B-4. Closure of the University – All university classes are canceled, academic activities are suspended, and all offices are closed.

B-5. Only essential employees need to report to work – critical operations and life-safety activities must be performed. Specifically,

a. Essential employees are those employees whose duties and responsibilities are necessary to carry out critical operations and life-safety activities.

b. Essential employees are required to report to work during emergency closures and postponed openings unless specifically informed by their supervisor that they are not to report. If conditions are so severe that essential employees cannot get to campus, employees should notify their supervisor immediately.

c. During an official closure, all nonessential employees who have already reported to work will be asked to leave. Those employees who have not yet reported to work will be notified not to report until the University reopens.

C. Notification Periods. Conditions forcing any type of campus closure may occur at any time during the day or evening and may affect all or part of the instructional day. If an emergency occurs during the night, the president or his/her designee will decide on the type of closure as early as possible in order for notification to occur before the start of the classes and the normal workday.

D. Communications in the Event of a Closure. If a closure or postponement of opening is necessary, the following steps will be taken:

D-1. Communication Tree. The president or his/her designee will notify the provost to begin the notification of senior management. The provost will notify members of the Executive Council. [See Chain of Communication, Section F]

D-2. Communication Chain of Command. Executive Council members or their designees should notify subordinate unit heads, who should pass the information to the appropriate personnel in their areas. Each major division, college and instructional center is responsible for establishing a communication chain to notify employees in the event of a closure.

D-3. Official Announcements. The president or his/her designee will notify the University Communications Office to make an official announcement regarding the closure or postponement of opening. Information will be made available to radio and television stations in Moscow-Pullman, Colfax, and Lewiston-Clarkston and other areas affected by the emergency. Announcements will, to the extent possible, specify the campus locations/facilities affected, the starting and ending times of the closure or postponement, and whether the closure includes specific University services, events, and evening or Saturday classes and programs.

D-4. Emergency Notice Distribution. University Communications will notify Information Technology Services (ITS) to initiate a system-wide broadcast on the telephone message system in the event of a closure during the workday, and to post the announcement on the University’s website homepage. Email may also be used as a means of communicating a system-wide message to students and employees. University Communications will also send notification to Facilities, which will forward the notice to everyone on their Building Contact list. [ed. 12-10]

D-5. Notify the State Board of Education. The president or his/her designee will notify the State Board of Education Office.

E. Essential Services. Because of the critical nature of their services, many University units must remain staffed during an emergency closure or postponement of opening. The following University units provide essential services and must remain open:

1. Information Technology Services (ITS) – to support telephone and telecommunications infrastructure.
2. Communications – to disseminate information to internal and external constituents and to deal with media inquiries.
3. Residence Life – to support residence halls.
4. Auxiliary Services – to support dining services
5. Student Health Services – to provide emergency medical care to resident students.
6. Facilities – to maintain power plant, utility systems, and grounds. [ed. 12-10]
7. Administrative Operations – to coordinate police services and campus security. [ed. 12-10]
8. Environmental Health & Safety – to coordinate safety as related to the emergency conditions.
9. Mission Critical Areas – to provide support for animal facilities, and critical programs and research projects.

E-1. Determine Mission Critical Areas. All major divisions, colleges and instructional centers should determine which services in their area are essential to critical operations or life safety activities, and identify the essential employees for those areas.

E-2. Emergency Response Plan. All affected units will implement procedures on their unit's emergency response plan during a university closure. [rev. & ren. 12-10]

F. Chain of Communication for Senior Management. The following communication tree identifies contact responsibilities for senior management positions:

[ed. 12-10]