Emergency Closure of Facilities and Inclement Weather Update

Message sent from Human Resources via email to campus community on Monday, Oct. 28.

Good Morning,

As we move closer to the winter months, we want to ensure all faculty and staff are familiar with the university’s procedures for notifying employees and students of campus closures, protocols during inclement weather, and the university’s recently updated policy on Emergency Closure of Facilities, which you can access here.

University Notification Procedures

The University will provide notification of emergency closures to employees and students through an “EWU Alert” via the EWU EagleSafe mobile app. Employees are responsible for regularly checking for facility closures when emergency circumstances exist.

Stay in the Know

Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to sign up for the EagleSafe mobile app which can be downloaded in the App Store or Google Play Store. University owned cell phones are automatically enrolled in the app.

Additionally, to ensure supervisors can confirm you receive notice of emergency closures, please make sure your supervisor has your updated contact information.

Managing Safety Concerns During Inclement Weather

If you have safety concerns regarding the weather or driving conditions during inclement weather conditions, and the university has not declared an Emergency Closure, notify your supervisor immediately. You can discuss options with your supervisor, which depending on your position, may include working remotely, teaching online, an alternate schedule, alternate duties, or leave options.

Four Types of Emergency Closures

Types of Emergency Closures	Examples	Operational Impact
Closure of a particular facility or part of a facility	Water pipe breaks in one building.	Activities that normally occur in that facility will be moved to another location.
Cancellation of classes university-wide	President or Provost elects to cancel all classes.	Regular university operations will continue, only classes will be impacted.
Transition to remote operations	Heavy snowfall, dangerous road conditions, or wildfire smoke.	Classes are moved online and university operations that can be performed remotely are transitioned to a remote operation.
Closure of university operations except for essential services. Some limited university services may remain open based on available staff and operational conditions.	Widespread electrical outage throughout the region makes it infeasible to transition to a remote operation.	Faculty and staff will not come to campus unless they are requested to do so by their supervisor to provide essential services.

Closure of Remote Facilities and Off-Site Locations

Facilities	Closure Protocols
Riverpoint	EWU operations will first follow Washington State University (WSU) Spokane guidance. If WSU Spokane closes or suspends operations, EWU at Riverpoint will also be closed. Additionally, if EWU suspends operations on the Cheney campus, EWU at Riverpoint will be closed, even if WSU Spokane remains open.
Catalyst & SIERR	EWU operations will be closed whenever operations are fully closed on the Cheney campus, following the same guidelines.
Other EWU Locations	If the host institution closes its facilities for emergency reasons, EWU classes at the institution will be canceled.

What Happens if My Work Cannot be Performed Online or Remotely?

Employees and supervisors are encouraged to preplan for inclement weather and remote operations. If the university declares a transition to remote operations, and you are unable to work remotely due to technology limitations or job duties, notify your supervisor and work with them to discuss other options such as an alternate schedule, alternate duties and leave options.

Essential Personnel

In the event of a full closure, the President or designee will determine the essential services required. Supervisors will determine how many, and which specific employees are needed. Supervisors will notify individuals who have been identified as essential personnel. Absent being identified as essential personnel, faculty and staff are expected to refrain from being on campus during full closures.

We encourage everyone to take appropriate measures to preplan for inclement weather and emergency closures, so the campus is prepared. If you have any questions, you can contact Human Resources at HR@ewu.edu.