All employees are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety. Faculty and staff should use their own best judgment when considering traveling to campus or the need to leave early during times of inclement weather; accumulated leave (personal or vacation) is used to account for such absences. Staff should review Human Resources Guideline 10 for specific information on how time missed for weather situations is handled. Union-represented employees should reference their collective bargaining agreements. Information on class attendance policies is available at undergrad.psu.edu (Policy E-11) and in Faculty Senate Policy 42-27 (Class Attendance).
In the Event of a Delayed Start or Campus Shutdown
It is recommended that all supervisors talk with their employees about their expectations prior to any winter weather that may approach their area. If there is no official change in campus operations during winter weather (such as a delayed start, class cancellations, etc.), supervisors should be flexible to allow employees the option to use accrued vacation, personal or holiday time, or adjust hours if needed.
During an official change in campus operations the following procedures are in place for employees based on their individual work circumstances:
Employees who perform “essential” services. Employees who are required to report to campus for work and have been previously identified as performing duties essential to maintaining operations should report to campus as directed. During such events, employees who are required to report to campus for work are eligible for Campus Closure Compensatory Time for all hours worked, subject to guideline provisions. Employees should clarify their status as essential or nonessential with their supervisor before inclement weather strikes.
All other employees. When campus classes, activities and work are cancelled, employees identified as performing non-essential duties should not report to work until the resumption of normal campus operations and are eligible for Campus Closure Pay per university policy. Employees should review the “official closedowns” section of the University’s Handling Weather Day Absences policy (Human Resources Guideline 10) for specific information on how time missed for weather situations is handled. Union-represented employees should reference their collective bargaining agreements.
Employees who have questions about recording a campus closure should contact their unit’s Human Resources consultant.
Notification of Individual Class Cancellations
At times, an individual faculty member may unexpectedly need to cancel a class due to illness or other unanticipated life event. Each instructor should discuss any weather-related arrangements in advance with students, preferably at the beginning of the semester. This discussion should include information about the rescheduling of cancelled classes and/or alternative means of ensuring that students receive a full semester of instruction despite weather-related cancellations.
If a faculty member cancels a class, he/she must notify students, either through email lists, instant messaging, Canvas, or any other appropriate means. These arrangements should appear in the course syllabus. The faculty member should also notify the Academic Affairs.
To assist students who travel a significant distance for classes, any such cancellation notices should be posted, if possible, no later than two hours prior to the beginning of the class period.