Inclement Weather Policy
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The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga remains open except in the most severe weather conditions. Decisions about operating schedule changes are based on conditions on campus and major transportation routes. It is expected that the campus community also monitors local conditions to assess individual travel risk.
Weather Threat During Operating Hours
- Employee Guidelines
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In the event of inclement weather when the University remains open, faculty and staff are expected to make every reasonable effort to maintain their regular work schedules but are advised to avoid undue risks in traveling. Employees who anticipate arriving late or not at all should notify their immediate supervisors. Employees have the option of charging their time off to annual leave or taking leave without pay. With prior approval, employees can make up lost work hours. Questions about the impact on specific employees' schedules should be directed to supervisors.
- Students and Faculty
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Students are expected to make every reasonable effort to attend class but are advised to avoid undue risks in traveling. If weather conditions prevent students from reaching campus, they should communicate that to faculty members at the first opportunity.
Students are responsible for any academic work missed due to absences caused by severe weather conditions. It is the student’s responsibility to take the initiative to make up any missed class work. If a faculty member cannot attend class, it is that faculty member’s responsibility to notify students in a timely manner, preferably at least one hour prior to the start of class. Faculty also should be mindful that hazardous weather conditions can cause students to miss class. In such cases, faculty are strongly encouraged to provide a reasonable opportunity for students who are unable to attend class to complete assignments or examinations missed due to hazardous weather conditions.
Faculty have discretion to determine whether an additional session of the class should be held or if any additional assignments are required to make up for classes not held.
- Administrative Closings
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The executive team may officially close or suspend selected University activities because of extreme weather conditions.
When a decision is made to change the operations schedule, information is distributed to the campus community via UTC-ALERT to multiple email, text message systems, social media and website platforms and shared with on-campus WUTC-FM 88.1 and other local news media. Recorded voice messages with status reports are at
423-425-4766. - Delayed Openings
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In the event of a delayed opening, senior leadership determines a specific time of opening, and that information is distributed via the above-referenced methods.
Faculty and staff are expected to report to their work locations by the set opening time.
Students are expected to report to their regularly scheduled class only if 30 minutes or more remain in the session.
For example, if a delayed opening is set for 10 a.m., a student who has a class from 9:40 to 10:55 a.m. should report to that class at 10 a.m. A student who has a class from 9:05 to 9:55 a.m. should not report to class.
In a delayed opening, all classes scheduled prior to the set opening time and any classes with less than 30 minutes remaining are canceled for the day.
If weather conditions develop during operating hours and prompt a decision to close the University, that information is distributed via the above-referenced methods.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What defines inclement weather?
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Inclement weather is any kind of extreme weather, usually snow or ice, that might create hazardous driving conditions or significantly impair normal campus operations at UTC. Inclement weather may require the University to close. In the event of an official closure, all academic classes and most administrative office operations are suspended, and only employees involved in providing necessary services are required to maintain a normal work schedule. In these instances, time off from work will be compensated as unscheduled administrative closing leave.
This FAQ list also pertains to the treatment of unscheduled administrative closing leave granted to affected employees in other, isolated emergency-related situations—for example: building-specific incidents such as spills, fires, flooding and so on.
- Who determines if the University is closed or classes are cancelled due to inclement weather?
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The chancellor, provost or executive vice chancellor. In a weather-related schedule change or closure, an official UTC announcement will be directed to all faculty, staff, students and the news media. The announcement will specify the status of campus operations, and the schedule for any change in operating hours or a closure.
- How might the University respond to incidents of inclement weather?
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University emergency management officials monitor information from the National Weather Service and other expert sources to assess conditions and when and how likely an exceptional weather event is to impact campus. Officials also monitor the state of road conditions as reported by local agencies. Based on information gathered from a variety of expert sources, UTC emergency management officials make recommendations to appropriate University leadership, which ultimately makes decisions on campus operations.
Based on actual or anticipated weather and road conditions, generally three responses to incidents of inclement weather are possible:
Delayed opening – the University publicly announces the specific time at which it will open. Early dismissal – the University ceases all academic classes and regular business operations at a publicly announced time.In the event of University closure, only employees required (or who have supervisor approval) should report to or remain at work. The specific hours of suspended operations will be recorded as unscheduled administrative closing leave. Decisions to close the University are, generally, made on a workday-by-workday basis.
- Closure – All day and evening classes are cancelled and all offices and regular business operations are suspended.
- Who qualifies for unscheduled administrative closing leave?
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Regular part-time and full-time employees in an active pay status who are scheduled to work during the inclement weather event are excused from work and granted unscheduled administrative closing leave, not to exceed the hours scheduled to work or the specific hours of suspended operations, whichever is less.
Information Sources for Weather-Related Campus Schedule or Operations Changes
- Email message sent via campus-wide listservs:
@UTC-INFO, @UTC-NEWS and @SCRAPPY - Text message to all UTC-ALERT followers
- Digital displays on building/classroom messaging boards
- RSS feed/home page bulletin on utc.edu
- UTC official social media accounts
- @UTChattanooga (Twitter)
- Facebook.com/UTChattanooga
- Media advisory to all Chattanooga and regional news media
- On-campus NPR affiliate WUTC-FM 88.1
- Recorded telephone voice message at:
- UTC Main Switchboard 423-425-4111
- UTC Inclement Weather 423-425-4766
- UTC Communications and Marketing 423-425-4363