Office of Administrative Services

MEMORANDUM

To:                          The College Community

From:                     Todd Emmons, Vice President of Administrative Services

Date:                      Monday, November  17, 2008

Subject:                 FY08 Inclement Weather and Campus Emergency Procedures

The following is the procedure that will be used in the event classes and activities are cancelled or delayed due to snow, other inclement weather, or an emergency situation.

        Day Classes & Activities (Mon – Sun):  The decision regarding day classes and activities will be made and conveyed to radio and television stations at the earliest possible time, but no later than 5:30 a.m. of the day in question.  Please Note: Day classes and activities include classes and activities starting before 4:00 p.m.

        Evening Classes & Activities (Mon – Fri): The decision regarding evening classes and activities will be made as early as possible, but no later than 2:30 p.m. of the day in question.   Please Note: Evening classes and activities include classes and activities starting at 4:00 p.m. or later.

        Cancellation Notification: If it becomes necessary to cancel or delay classes and activities due to the weather and/or an emergency, you may contact the College’s Inclement Weather Line, 508-854-4545, or visit the Web site, www.qcc.mass.edu, for information.  Staff members may also call their college voice mailbox by dialing Audix (508-854-4555) and following the prompts. 

        CANCELLATION OF CLASSES: If classes and activities are cancelled, only assigned non-unit professional staff and those classified staff designated as “essential personnel” must report to work. (See your supervisor with questions.)

        DELAYED OPENING OF CLASSES: In some cases, the beginning of day classes and activities may be delayed to begin at the time indicated in the announcement.  All staff, except “essential personnel” who may already be at work, should report to work at the delayed start time.

        The decision to cancel or delay classes and activities will be based upon the best information available regarding:

·          The operational status of the Campus – including heat, light and snow removal; and

·          The accessibility of the Campus – including the availability of public transportation and street conditions in the City of Worcester.

Conditions may vary greatly within the College’s service area and, therefore, when classes and activities are being held, students must ultimately determine if they are able to attend classes.  Students are encouraged to become familiar with the policies of their instructors regarding making up missed work.

        STUDENT CLINICAL PLACEMENTS, CO-OP PLACEMENTS, and EXTERNSHIPS:

Many of Quinsigamond Community College’s academic programs/certificates require students to participate in experiential learning; e.g., clinical, practicum, etc.  Since many of these external sites remain open during inclement weather conditions, students should anticipate that they might be expected to report to an external site even if the College closes as a result of inclement weather.  At the beginning of each semester, Faculty Program Coordinators will inform students within their programs of the procedures they are expected to follow during inclement weather.

        Offsite Operations:

Ø       QCC at CitySquare will follow the same cancellation policy as the QCC main campus.

Ø       Classes and events at the Worcester Senior Center will follow the cancellation policy of the Worcester Senior Center.

Ø       Quinsigamond Community College’s Offsite Operations at Southbridge High School, Blackstone Valley Regional Vocational Technical High School, and Worcester Vocational High School will follow the cancellation policies of those institutions.

        DENTAL CLINIC: The clinic will follow the same cancellation schedule as the main campus.

        Text Message Notification: Inclement weather alerts will be sent out as a text message using the QCC Alert system. Students and Faculty can enter their cell phone numbers through the Q at https://confucius.qcc.mass.edu/ics. Staff can email notifymaster@zeus.qcc.mass.edu.

        Radio and TV Station Notification:
 

                       Radio:  WTAG  (AM 580)                                     TV:    WCVB  (Ch. 5)

                                    WSRS  (FM 96)                                                 WBZ     (Ch. 4)

                                    WBZ     (AM 1030)                                             WHDH  (Ch. 7)

                                    WRKO  (AM 680)

  Please do not call the radio and television stations directly OR the College’s main number to find out about “No School Info.”