As you know, severe weather conditions led to class cancellations and closure of all offices at 10 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6. In hindsight, the decision to open for a short period of time was not ideal, and it was met with a fair amount of criticism from students, faculty and staff. Please know that I take your feedback seriously, and I value the safety of every member of our community.
As such, I am initiating a thorough review of the college’s class cancellation and college closure procedures in an effort to support the safety of all students, faculty, staff and visitors coming to campus. Currently, the decision to cancel, postpone classes or close the college is determined by 5 a.m. when inclement weather occurs overnight. That decision may also occur during the day and is reported approximately one and one-half hours prior to the announced cancellation time under most conditions.
Clearly, there are a variety of factors to consider when making a decision to alter the college schedule, and I believe we must examine our process from every angle to ensure an optimal response. That work is now underway, and an update will be shared in the near future. In the meantime, I ask members of our community sign up for two notification systems, Alertus and SUNY Everbridge, to receive important communications severe weather events, or other emergencies, affecting our community. Please see the college webpage on communication tools for college closures and class cancellations to do so.
Thank you.