OP 110 - Campus Closure
Number: OP 110
Effective: February 16, 2016
Last Reviewed: February 9, 2024
Department: Facilities Planning and Management
Last Revision: February 9, 2024

Purpose

To establish authority and process in determining and communicating a campus closure or delay in opening due to natural or human caused emergencies including but not limited to, inclement weather, utility failure, fire, floods, threat, or other forced evacuations. CWI's primary goal is to maintain a safe environment for our students, faculty, and staff, while preserving access to the college's services. Our predisposition is to remain open and operate normally whenever possible.

Scope

Applies to all CWI campuses.

Definition

Campus: All CWI locations, including classes and office operations.

Closure: Shut-down of all operations of the College at a specific location or the entire CWI Campus. A Closure may include a delay in opening operations. Closures or delays will apply to all students, faculty, and staff at the college.

Emergency: An event that is significantly impacting the safety of the College, its personnel, and students.

Incident Command Team: Vice President, Strategy & Operations, Provost & VP of Academic Affairs, and, Executive Director, Facilities Planning and Management.

Crisis Communication Team: Provost & VP of Academic Affairs, Executive Director, Facilities Planning and Management, Executive Director Communications & Marketing, VP Strategy & Operations, Director, Safety and Security, and Security Administrator.

Policy

The Incident Command Team has the authority to close or delay opening college campuses, operations and/or support offices in cases of emergency, to determine the duration of the Closure and to declare when the Closure has terminated. The Emergency Notification, Timely Warning, and CWI Alert Procedure and all appropriate communication channels will be used to inform the campus community of a closure or delay. The Crisis Communication Team will be responsible for informing the campus community, media, and any external audiences as deemed appropriate. This team will also provide updates as directed by the Incident Command Team. Announcements will be made as early as possible once a determination has been made.

Guidelines

  • Campus closures and opening delays will be decided by the Incident Command Team.
  • For campus closures, the Incident Command team will decide if campus is closed entirely (physical and remote) or if all physical locations are closed, but remote work and services will be available. This will be included in campus communications about the closure or opening delay.
  • During a physical campus closure, with remote work and services available, employees will generally be expected to work remotely, unless directed otherwise by their manager, supervisor, or Vice President; or they are unable to work remotely due to the type of work or system and/or equipment access.
  • Vice Presidents will work with their managers and supervisors to develop a plan for remote work and a service level expectation in the event of a closure, including who is expected to work, which other units, divisions, departments, or services in the college you are dependent on for performing your work and how this will be communicated to your staff and colleagues. These plans will be reviewed and approved by the President’s Cabinet to ensure a level of service across campus and that any dependent units, divisions, departments, or services are available to one another. Vice Presidents or their designees may request employees to come to campus during a closure. These employees will generally know and understand these expectations prior to an announcement of closure.
  • Supervisors and faculty should always be mindful of individual employee and student circumstances and are allowed to make decisions on an individual basis in support of the health and safety of employees and students and the business needs of the department.

Referenced