Information for students
Emergency Closing Procedures, Grantham Campus and Winding Hill
(Revised November 16, 2023)
In the event of weather conditions or other unexpected emergencies, the University may announce and implement a campus closure or delayed opening. The University will communicate this news to students and faculty via email, text message alert, the university website home page and a Canvas banner announcement.
If campus is closed or delayed and your class is scheduled to meet during that delay or closure, the faculty member may determine how best to proceed with the course to successfully maintain the integrity of the learning objectives. This includes the following options:
- holding class synchronously online at the scheduled time
- delivering asynchronous online instruction
- arranging for make-up opportunities after campus reopens.
Regardless of the method chosen, faculty must communicate clearly and proactively with students on the Canvas course site. This communication should be timely; generally within an hour of the delay/closure announcement and always before the class was scheduled to meet.
Note that when campus is closed, a faculty member may not hold a class session on campus.
A delayed campus opening or campus closure does not impact the schedule of courses. For synchronous class meetings (in-person or online), instructors should follow the regular class schedule, even in the case of a delayed opening. For example, if class normally meets on MWF 11:00 – 11:50 AM, then in the case of a delayed opening or a closure, if the instructor chooses to have a synchronous online class meeting, it will occur 11:00 – 11:50 AM.
It is important for student success and clarity of messaging that each instructor post all changes in class plans as a Canvas announcement. Though email or other communication is also effective, these should be in addition to and not instead of communication in Canvas.