18.6 Inclement Weather

The University acts to ensure the safety of its students and its employees during inclement weather. All decisions to open late, remain closed, or close early will be made by the President and VP of Operations in conjunction with the Dean’s office.

Decisions will generally rely on actual observed conditions rather than predictions. An inclement weather closure should not be viewed merely as a day off, but rather an event that is predicated by unsafe conditions.

In the event we are forced to close, the University will make every effort to have the details concerning the closing announced via our website, emails, and phone calls. It is the responsibility of each employee to contact FNU in case of any doubt regarding university operations.

Advisories on hurricanes consist of three main alerts:

1. On the announcement of a possible hurricane, all should start taking the necessary precautions for a period without utilities of up to two weeks.
2. Thirty-six (36) hours before a hurricane watch is issued: At that time, classes may be canceled by a university administrator, as there is no way of knowing precisely where or when hurricanes will hit. Hurricanes often pick up speed as they head for land, so one cannot be certain that one has thirty-six hours of preparation, and one must always practice great caution.
3. Twenty-four (24) hours before a hurricane is expected to come ashore, a Hurricane Warning is issued.

Note: Deans and Management will keep posted via NORAD information bulletins. The telephone numbers for NORAD are: (305) 229-4522 and (305) 229-4470.

FNU’s goal is to maintain the normal operations and educational processes of the University while remaining sensitive to safety concerns. Therefore, if FNU remains open, faculty, students, and staff should report to their classrooms or offices as usual.

If someone lives in an area that is affected by bad weather and feels that travel to campus would be an unreasonable safety risk, that individual should contact his or her supervisor or Department Head to discuss possible options, and students should contact their instructors in advance. Emergency service personnel are expected to report to work in any case to keep essential services and operations functioning.

For all other faculty, staff members, and students, it is understood that everyone will not be able to travel to campus during inclement weather if the University remains open or operates on a curtailed schedule.

Employees are expected to use their best judgment in assessing the risk of coming to campus and returning home, based on individual circumstances. Those who believe that the road conditions from home are dangerous are urged and even expected to stay there to prevent injury.

Non-exempt employees will not be paid for days when the University is closed due to inclement weather. If the University closes for less than a full workweek, exempt employees will be paid his/her full salary for any full day absences. All employees must use any accrued vacation time, if available, to cover the absence. Any employee who has a scheduled vacation or personal day on a day when the University closes because of inclement weather must still record their time as vacation or personal time.

Those on sick leave must record their time off as sick time. Only those who were scheduled to work that day should be compensated through the Inclement Weather Policy when the University officially closes, and they were not allowed to work.

If the office is not closed, and you make the decision not to come in, the absence will be charged to your accumulated vacation time. If you have exhausted all your accumulated vacation time, the absence will be unpaid and may result in disciplinary action.