Lately, the Johnson City area has been hit with several snow days, resulting in canceled classes and closed schools.
“If inclement weather is anticipated, we monitor the situation,” said David Collins, vice president for finance and administration, “including road conditions, through several means, including news reports, weather apps and public safety reports.”
When it comes down to making the decision of whether to hold school, that is solely up to President Brian Noland. The decision is made based on information provided to Noland by Collins and others.
Though university leaders may not formally have experience or knowledge when dealing with unsafe weather, public safety dispatch and constant monitoring of road conditions for snow and ice helps them safely decide whether school should be held.
There is no plan to make up any of the missed days due to inclement weather.
“We try to minimize the number of days we are closed but must make our decisions based on safety concerns for faculty, staff and students,” Collins said. “During periods of closure, faculty can maintain contact with students through D2L, thus minimizing some of the issues of missed time.”
Any closure to the university disrupts the agenda of students, as well as faculty.
“There is a large cost due to lost work time of the staff, but also premium pay to all of the facilities,” Collins said. “Public safety and other workers must be present to clean parking lots, sidewalks and maintain the safety of our campus.”
