Inclement Weather Procedure
To: All Library Staff
Re: Inclement Weather Procedures for 2007-2008
From: Lee T. Cartmill, Director, Finance and Administration
By now, hopefully you all have read both the email from Steve Golding, Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration, dated December 5, 2007, and the article in the December 7th issue of the Cornell Chronicle, concerning inclement weather conditions. As we enter the winter season, please be aware of the university's inclement weather procedures. The official version of these procedures is contained in Section 2.5 of the Cornell University Policy: Inclement Weather http://www.policy.cornell.edu/vol2_5.cfm. The most important points about the procedures are as follows:
(1) The decision about the operating status of the university is made by the Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration. The decision to close the University will be made in consultation with meteorological services, police, transportation and ground services personnel, executive staff and deans. Individual academic and administrative units do not have the authority to override the decisions of central administration (to either close or remain open).
(2) Notification of a decision to close will be communicated as quickly as possible. During working hours, e-mail and the telephone will be used. The Library Administration will announce closing information during the day to all the libraries. In all other circumstances, local radio and TV stations will carry the announcement. For a list of radio and TV stations that will be notified for broadcast announcements of closings and emergencies see: http://web.cornell.edu/Emergency/radio-tv.htm. On campus and in the local community, the university's low power AM station (530KHZ) will carry this information. An inclement weather AUDIX message is available at 255-3377. You can also look on the University Operating Status Web page : http://www.info.cornell.edu/CUHomePage/Status.html
Staff are asked not to telephone the Cornell Police for closing information as this ties up lines needed for emergencies.
All employees are urged to subscribe to the Inclement Weather/Special Event Email list by doing the following:
Send an email message to:
Univ-Closing-L-request@cornell.edu
The body of the message should read:
"join" (without the quotes)
The Library Administration will try to communicate closing information to unit and department heads in the evening, morning, and during weekends, but it is the responsibility of all staff to listen to radio and TV for announcements and to communicate with their supervisors/ or employees about their plans. All employees, including student employees, should have the home telephone numbers of their supervisors and staff available AT HOME.
(3) Supervisors should be understanding and reasonable about personal situations for those who live far from the university campus. When the university remains open, staff who feel that it is unsafe for them to travel to campus, or who have family care requirements when the local schools close or delay opening, should remain at home if that seems the best course.
When the university remains open, employees who cannot report to or cannot remain at work due to personal travel conditions may charge the time off to personal or vacation leave; make up the time within the same work week at the mutual convenience of the employee and the supervisor; or request leave without pay if no other accrued time is available. When the university is closed, staff receive their normal compensation.
(4) When the university is CLOSED the libraries are CLOSED. When the university OPENING IS DELAYED, the libraries are closed until the announced opening time, at which time all libraries will be OPEN. If the university declares a PARTIAL CLOSING, classes and exams are held and the libraries are OPEN with reduced services. However, in this situation, only library staff who have been designated as "skeletal" staff are asked to stay or come to work to keep buildings open and circulation services operating. These employees will receive additional compensation. The remainder of the staff who have not been designated as part of the "skeletal" staff, should leave work (or remain at home) and will receive their normal compensation.
(5) Area law enforcement officials may announce that everyone is to "avoid unnecessary travel" when the weather is severe. This is not the same as closing the roads. Travel to and from work is considered necessary travel, but travel to optional activities such as shopping, visiting relatives and friends is not. In these circumstances you will be expected to come to work or stay at work for your regular hours. If your personal circumstances are such that you feel you cannot come to or stay at work, the procedures outlined in item (3) apply.
(6) If the county or other municipalities announce that driving on all or some roads is prohibited and the roads are closed, the university does not expect employees or students to violate these rules. The University will close when the Tompkins County roads are closed; however, there are some people, such as health, safety, and emergency personnel, who are required to work even though the roads are closed to traffic, and they generally carry some form of identification from the university designating them as "essential" employees. The library does not designate any of its employees as essential in this sense.
(7) Because the decision on the operating status of the university is based on road and weather conditions in Tompkins County, the university will close when the Tompkins County sheriff closes the roads. The Library closes when the university closes. (See the special rules for a partial closing in item (4)). However, it sometimes happens that the roads in one of the surrounding counties are closed before the Tompkins County sheriff and the university administration make their decisions. As long as the university is open, you are expected to come to work or stay at work for your regular hours, unless your personal circumstances are such that you feel you cannot. Again, the procedures for taking time off are outlined in item (3).