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Initially November 30, 1982
Revised February 9, 1987
Revised January 23, 1989
Revised March 1, 1989
Revised January 12, 1995
Revised November 17, 2003
Revised January 24, 2006
POLICY
STATEMENT #13
CAMPUS
OPERATION IN ADVERSE WEATHER OR DURING OTHER UNUSUAL
CONDITIONS
Policy
1. The University will operate on its normal schedules
unless the Chancellor (or the Vice Chancellor delegate
as described herein) publicly announces:
a. "The University (or a specific operational unit)
is closed," or
b. "Classes are cancelled--faculty and staff
have an optional workday."
2. a. When the University is closed,
no students, faculty members, or staff members are
expected to be on campus except:
(1) Any employee who has
received advance written standing instructions issued
by the appropriate Vice Chancellor or department
head with delegated authority, requiring that the
employee report to work on the regular schedule
in spite of emergency closing;
(2) Any employee who has
received from an appropriate supervisor special
notice to report to work in spite of the closing;
(3) Students who reside
in campus housing; and
(4) Contractor personnel
who operate campus facilities that are open even
though the campus is closed, such as student dining
facilities.
b. Faculty and staff
should interpret an announcement that "the University
is closed" to mean that those employees whose
jobs have not been previously designated as "essential
to the physical operation of the institution"
are encouraged to remain away from campus so that
the Facilities Management and other staff may clear
streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. Employees who
can work on self-directed projects and who can reach
the campus safely may report to work with the permission
of their supervisors. Employees designated as "Essential
Personnel" and others contacted to report to
work are expected to reach the campus as expeditiously
as possible using normal precautions as dictated by
the adverse weather or other unusual conditions.
c. “Essential Personnel” are those employees who are considered
necessary to staff critical functions during a period
of campus closure or evacuation. The nature of
the closure or evacuation (e.g. adverse weather,
gas explosion, etc.) and the area of campus affected
will determine which employees are considered essential.
Essential Personnel may include, but are not limited
to, staff members in the following areas: Facilities
Management shops; Facilities Management housekeeping;
Campus Police; Security (Housing and Residence
Life, Atkins Library, or any other location housing
security personnel); Housing and Residence Life
facilities (including housekeeping); Cone University
Center facilities; Student Activity Center facilities;
Information and Technology Services; Atkins Library;
Vivarium; and Brocker Health Center. However, areas
outside those listed may be affected depending on
the activities of the University during the period
of closure or evacuation. Whenever possible, advance
notice will be given to Essential Personnel. However,
due to the emergency nature of immediate closures
or evacuations, such advance notice may not be possible.
Essential Personnel who fail to report during a
closing or stay during an evacuation may be subject
to disciplinary action. Disciplinary actions
may be appealed through the University's SPA grievance
process ( PIM 35 ).
d. When possible in advance
of anticipated closings (e.g., based on weather forecasts,
etc.), department heads are encouraged to plan for
providing food and shelter for Essential Personnel
who may be concerned about travel conditions.
3. Faculty and staff should interpret
an announcement that "classes are cancelled and
faculty and staff have an optional workday" to
mean that weather or other unusual conditions are
marginal and that employees other than those designated
as "essential to the physical operation of the
institution" are encouraged to report to work
if they believe they can do so safely. Essential
Personnel are expected to reach the campus as expeditiously
as possible.
4. If the Chancellor (or Vice Chancellor
delegate) announces that "the University (or
a specific operational unit) is closed" or that
"the University is operating on a delayed schedule,"
the following provisions shall apply:
a. Students who miss scheduled activities shall be allowed
to make up any work missed;
b. Faculty members shall make arrangements to complete all
interrupted activities;
c. All SPA and EPA staff
and faculty employees who accrue leave credits and
who are not required to work at an alternate site
or report as Essential Personnel will not be required
to charge leave or make up time for work missed under
such conditions;
d. Employees who do not
earn leave credit and who are paid on an hourly
basis (FLSA non-exempt) will be paid only for the
hours worked during a given pay period. Such employees
may work additional hours when the University re-opens,
subject to the restraints of overtime and the approval
by the employee’s immediate supervisor.
e. Essential Personnel
and employees defined as “essential to the physical
operation of the institution” who are required to
and report to work during the closing shall be granted
paid time off on an hour for hour basis for all hours
worked. This time must be used within 12 months of
its being awarded and should be used after using compensatory
time off, but before using vacation or sick leave.
5. If the Chancellor (or Vice Chancellor
delegate) announces that “classes are cancelled –
optional workday for faculty and staff”, the following
provisions shall apply:
a. Students who miss
scheduled activities shall be allowed to make up any
work missed;
b. Faculty members shall
make arrangements to complete all interrupted activities;
c. All SPA and EPA staff
and faculty employees who accrue leave credits shall
charge absences to vacation/bonus leave unless they
are permitted by their immediate supervisor to make
up the absences and in fact do make up the absences
within 12 months from the occurrence of the absence.
Time not made up within the 12-month period will be
charged to vacation/bonus leave. Additional information
on accounting for absences due to adverse weather
or other emergency situations is set forth in Personnel
Information Memorandum (PIM) 12, available from Human
Resources or online at http://www.hr.uncc.edu/Policies/PIM12.htm;
and
d. Employees who do not
earn leave credit and who are paid on an hourly
basis (FLSA non-exempt) will be paid only for the
hours worked during a given pay period. Such employees
may work additional hours when the University re-opens,
subject to the restraints of overtime and the approval
by the employee’s immediate supervisor.
6. Faculty and non-faculty employees
who telework or work in alternate locations not affected
by the adverse weather or unusual conditions are expected
to work their normal schedule.
7. Students, faculty members, and
other employees will observe normal schedules unless
the University is closed or classes are cancelled
by such announcement. When no formal announcement
has been made that the University will be closed or
classes cancelled, but an individual student, faculty
member, or other employee determines that observing
the normal schedule would require hazardous travel,
and acts on that determination, the following policies
shall apply:
a. Students may be allowed
to make up the absences, at the discretion of the
instructor;
b. Faculty members shall
immediately notify the department chairperson so
that arrangements may be made to meet their scheduled
activities and shall make arrangements to complete
all interrupted activities;
c. All SPA and EPA staff
and faculty employees who accrue leave credits may
work to make up such absences, subject to the approval
of the employee’s immediate supervisor. Time which
is not made up shall be charged to vacation/bonus
leave.
8. If changing weather or other
unusual conditions are determined to have the potential
of creating hazardous travel or working conditions
during normal business hours, and the situation does
not necessitate closing the University or cancelling
classes, the Chancellor (or Vice Chancellor delegate)
will announce: "With supervisory approval, employees
may be released early to avoid or reduce hazardous
travel (or working conditions)." Employees who
accrue leave credits (faculty and non-faculty) and
elect to depart work early shall charge the time not
worked to vacation/bonus leave unless they are permitted
by their immediate supervisor to make up the lost
time and in fact do make up the lost time. Under
the situation described in this paragraph, supervisors
are expected to retain sufficient staff on duty to
permit operation of principal units of the University.
Employees who do not earn leave credits and who are
paid on an hourly basis (FLSA non-exempt) will be
paid only for the hours worked on such a day.
Responsibilities
and Notice
1. The
Director of Police and Public Safety, or the individual
named to act in the Director's behalf, shall monitor
driving conditions or other potentially hazardous
situations affecting the campus and shall notify the
Chancellor or a delegate that, in the Director's opinion,
hazardous conditions warrant closing University facilities,
releasing the work force early, or cancelling classes.
2. If the Chancellor is unavailable,
a delegate for purposes of this Policy shall be the
first available among the Vice Chancellors for Academic
Affairs, Business Affairs, Student Affairs, Research
and Federal Relations, Development and Alumni Affairs,
or University Relations and Community Affairs, in
that order.
3. After receiving the Director's
advice, the Chancellor or a delegate shall engage
in such consultation as is deemed appropriate and
shall decide whether to announce that the University
will be closed, the work force will be released early,
or that classes will be cancelled. If a decision
is made to release the work force early, the Chancellor
or a delegate will inform the Vice Chancellors. If
a decision to close the University or cancel classes
is made, it shall specify the time at which the action
is effective, and if possible, the duration of the
closing or cancellation of classes follows:
a. If the decision to
close the University or cancel classes is made during
normal business hours (8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.), the
Chancellor or a delegate shall notify the office of
each Vice Chancellor, which offices shall in turn
notify all administrative units reporting to the Vice
Chancellor, specifying the action taken. The Chancellor
or a delegate shall also notify the Associate Vice
Chancellor for University Relations, who shall notify
all appropriate media.
b. If the decision to
close the University or cancel classes is made outside
normal business hours, the Chancellor or a delegate
shall notify the Associate Vice Chancellor for University
Relations or in his or her absence, the Vice Chancellor
for University Relations and Community Affairs,
who shall in turn notify all appropriate radio and
television stations of the University closing or
cancellation of classes.
c. All faculty, staff,
and students should assume that the University is
open and operating on its normal schedule unless notice
to the contrary is received as indicated above.
4. The Associate Vice Chancellor for University Relations
shall give notice of closing of the University to
at least the following media:
In
addition, the Information Desk at Cone
University Center
will be notified and the notice will be posted on
the University’s Website.
Notices
may also be provided by voicemail and by email. The
University Police and Public Safety will be notified
to activate a recorded message for inquiries regarding
the status of campus weather conditions. Telephone
number 704/687-2877 has been established for this
purpose. This number will be included in the notice
of closings and cancellations given to the above media.
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