Inclement weather procedures for employees

Given severe weather is in the forecast, it is important to review Rowan’s inclement weather procedures. 

Unless announced otherwise, the University will always be physically open. Balancing weather conditions with holding classes and keeping the campuses and remote offices open can be very difficult. We thank the University community for understanding the complexity of the situation and for being patient during inclement weather. 

Employee guidance

All employees designated as “essential employees” by the University and/or state must report to work and remain at work in accordance with policy and protocols. 

Employees who are deemed non-essential for purposes of inclement weather that may feel uneasy about driving conditions and choose to either leave before the University closes or not report to work at all, must notify their supervisor and make reasonable arrangements with respect to any existing work assignments that may be affected by the early departure or the fact that the employee may not be coming to the worksite.

Reasonable arrangements may include having the employee work remotely for the remainder of the day (or the entire workday, however the case may be), should remote work be an appropriate and feasible option for the employee on that day. If remote work is not possible for the employee that day, or the remainder of the workday, the employee and the supervisor may agree that the employee can use accrued vacation time, comp time, administrative leave or floating holiday to cover the employee’s time for the day.

Employees may review the Employee Inclement Weather Policy for Non-Essential Employees for more information.

If campuses physically close

Rowan University has four states of operation: normal, remote, closed and delayed opening/early closure.

During remote operations status, essential employees should physically report to their respective campus locations. All other employees are expected to work remotely. 

During University/Campus Closed status, some employees who are “essential” during remote status may be switched to non-essential status, and vice versa, depending on the needs of the department. 

The employees at home during University/Campus Closed operations status are not expected to work because the area may be expected to suffer power outages and/or other events that will interrupt employees’ ability to work.

Faculty have the discretion to hold in-person classes virtually using videoconferencing (Zoom or WebEx), instructional tools in Canvas and other means for maintaining instructional continuity as appropriate. Resources for faculty are available on the Faculty Center’s Instructional Continuity Plan webpage. Online classes are unaffected by campus closures. 

As a reminder, Rowan has several campuses and many medical offices across the region. Closures may differ from campus to campus and site to site.  

Rowan Medicine, Virtua Medical Group Affiliate providers and staff with in-patient duties will receive seperate guidance from Rowan Medicine administrators and supervisors. Shreiber Veterinary Teaching Hospital clinicians, staff and students with patient care responsibilities will also receive separate guidance from their supervisors.

Notification of closure or delayed opening

The University uses the Rowan Alert system, email, social media and the Rowan website to notify students and employees when there is a delay or closure. The expectation should always be that the campuses are operating normally unless otherwise indicated.  

Notifications about campus closures are made by 5:30 a.m. for day classes and 3 p.m. for evening classes. 

If weather and campus conditions permit, delayed opening times will be 9:30 a.m., 11:00 a.m. or 12:30 p.m. Early closure times are 1:45 p.m., 3:15 p.m. or 4:45 p.m. 

On occasion, the governor may declare a “state of emergency” due to inclement weather. This may also include a declaration that state agencies and offices will not open or will close early. Please note, this does NOT dictate what the University does locally, unless there is a declaration that all roads in the state must be clear of traffic. 

Student options

During times of inclement weather, it is the student's decision, based on their assessment of the situation, whether or not to attend class in-person. Students will not be penalized for missing classes because of inclement weather, but they must contact their professors prior to class and make up any work assigned. 

Again, unless announced otherwise, the University will always be physically open. Balancing weather conditions with holding classes and keeping the campuses and remote offices open can be very difficult. When faced with weather or other emergencies, our priority will always be the safety and well-being of the University community. 

Thank you for understanding the complexity of the situation and for being patient during inclement weather.