As winter weather grows more severe, it is important to ensure safety and be on the look out for campus closure alerts.
Students and staff are notified of campus closures through Eagle Alerts. Eagle Alerts is a messaging system offered by the Eastern Michigan University Department of Public Safety to inform students and staff members of campus closure at any time. The purpose of Eagle Alerts is to be able to reach students and staff members at any time quickly and effectively, so they can prepare for the day ahead.
“[Eagle Alerts] informs the student whether or not they need to make arrangements for child care, whether or not it's an entire full-day closure, or a partial-day closure, and it can help with travel plans too,” said Matthew Lige, executive director of public safety and chief of police at EMU.
Students and faculty members not yet signed up to receive Eagle Alerts can do so on the EMU website.
Closure announcements are also communicated through university emails, social media accounts and on the university website, emich.edu.
In the event of a campus closure, all activities including classes, exams, assignment submissions and athletics will be canceled. However, 100% online or asynchronous courses will still continue as regularly scheduled. In addition to not holding classes, non-essential staff members will not attend any scheduled meetings or do any compensable work.
Ideally, notifications of a university closure will go out before 6 a.m. for morning classes, before 9:30 a.m. for afternoon classes and before 3 p.m. for evening classes. However, due to the potential inaccuracy of weather-predicting science, notifications may not be able to go out in a timely manner, Lige said.
University closures can affect course work and planning, so it is necessary to watch out for communication from professors to stay informed. Nichole Cullin, a communications professor at EMU, said impact to the class schedule depends on the course affected by a snow day.
“If it's a class where I have speeches, we have to adjust in the coming days to fit them in. If it's a class like my Interpersonal Communication and there's a snow day, some things do get taken out. Some things you planned on teaching do end up getting missed because there’s no time to fit it in,” Cullin said.
In the event of a school closure, essential services will still be available. Services such as dining, police and the janitorial service that plows the sidewalks and puts down salt will all remain open. All academic services, such as the library, academic advising and the University Writing Center will be closed. The REC-IM center may offer limited hours, but that will vary depending on staff availability.
When campus is open during winter weather days, it is necessary to take certain precautions to ensure safety. Snowy weather conditions can make driving more dangerous. EMU’s student body is primarily made up of commuter students, so DPS encouraged them to be careful.
Lige implores students to thoroughly scrape any ice and snow off of their entire car, not only the windshields, but every window, headlights and brake lights. Poor road conditions will increase the time of one’s commute, so they should allow themselves extra time to drive to ensure they can get to class on time.
“If you know the roads are going to be treacherous, or they begin to become treacherous as you get closer to campus, allow yourself plenty of braking time. Drive defensively and allow for a longer commute because that is going to happen every time,” Lige said.
In regards to driving safety, first year computer science student Kit DeLano said, “My commute is definitely longer due to the weather and the roads. I have 8 a.m. courses that I have to get up even earlier for due to the snow, making me even more tired throughout the day. My life is way more important than my classes though, so I make sure that I drive safely on my commute to class.”
Cold weather isn’t only risky for commuter students, it impacts everyone that needs to walk around campus. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, limiting skin exposure to wind and cold temperatures can prevent hypothermia and frostbite. It is important to dress appropriately by wearing layers, and wearing hats, scarves and gloves, if possible. Students and faculty that need to move between buildings may be in a hurry and thus either forget or not have the time to get bundled up, so it is recommended that they block out a little extra time before heading out, when possible.
