Morris Campus

Determination to Take Action for Emergency Cancellations or Closures

The Chancellor will determine when a situation warrants a cancellation of classes or events or closure of offices, buildings, or closure of all or part of the campus (e.g., adverse weather conditions, hazardous material release, terrorism, or other threat). Consultation with the Vice Chancellors and Chief Law Enforcement Officer will occur prior to making the decision to close offices or buildings or cancel classes or events, time permitting, depending on the nature of the situation or the protocol as defined in the Emergency Operations Plan.

A determination to cancel classes or close offices, buildings, or all or part of campus will be made by the Chancellor or campus official as available, in order, on the following list, in consultation with the Chief Law Enforcement Officer and other Vice Chancellors as available.

• Chancellor
• Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Dean
• Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs
• Vice Chancellor for Finance and Facilities

The Chancellor, Chief Law Enforcement Officer or designee, Vice Chancellor for Finance and Facilities and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs are the lead people in campus emergency response. When an emergency situation occurs, these administrators identify an incident response team (typically four to six people) to coordinate the emergency response. Specific team members vary to meet the needs of the situation at hand. The Chancellor’s designated Emergency Lead-Designated Authority (ELDA) will be responsible and have the authority to implement the UMM Emergency Operations Plan, including coordinating warning and notification.

Typical Campus Emergency Closing/Class Cancellation Times

1. Closing/class cancellation/starting at normal business hours

   The decision and announcements are to be made as early in the morning as possible, preferably by 5:30 a.m. for cancellation of classes or closing offices. The typical duration for the cancellation will be 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The second and third shifts will report to work as scheduled, unless specifically notified otherwise. Evening classes, programs and events will be cancelled unless the closing announcement or subsequent announcements specify that they will continue as scheduled.

2. Closing/starting after normal business day has begun, during evenings, and on weekends

   To the extent possible, two hours of lead-time will be provided. Units notified of a closing of offices/buildings or cancellation of classes or events by Communications and Marketing is asked to assist in communicating the closing/cancellation announcements in whatever ways they can. Midday and weekend closings/cancellations will be communicated in a variety of means as appropriate, including but not limited to tone alert radios, email, text message alert (SAFE-U), and postings on the Morris Campus website and selected social media. The decision to close offices, buildings or programs or cancel classes should be made by 4:00pm for evening classes.

Official Announcements of Emergency Cancellations and Closings

The University of Minnesota, Morris Office of Communications and Marketing is responsible for notifying the University community and the public, if the decision is made to close offices, buildings, or the campus or to cancel classes or events on the Morris campus.

All official University announcements will be made exclusively through Communications and Marketing or the University of Minnesota Morris Campus Police.

Announcements of emergency closings or cancellations will, to the extent possible, specify the starting and ending times of the closing of campus offices and/or buildings or cancellation of classes, and whether the closing/cancellation of classes includes specific University services, events, and evening or weekend classes or programs.

Internal communication: Communications and Marketing will use a variety of communications methods as appropriate to communicate a closing, including but not limited to email, postings on the Morris Campus website, text message alert (SAFE-U), Twitter, and Facebook. Note: Calling University offices will not guarantee that the latest or most accurate information is provided to the caller.

External communication: Communications and Marketing will notify all appropriate media outlets. The following media will be typically be notified (contact information and instructions provided by External Relations):

Radio:

• KUMM, FM 89.7, UMM Campus
• KKOK, FM 95.7, Morris
• KMRS, AM 1230, Morris
• KIKV, FM 100.7, Alexandria

Television:

• WCCO TV
• KSTP TV
• KARE-11 TV

Special Situations

Occasionally student oriented or public events may continue on a day when classes have been cancelled or offices closed. The Chancellor or relevant Vice Chancellor will determine whether the event may be held.

Notifications

The U of M President's Office will be notified by the Chancellor’s Office as soon as possible after a decision to close.

As a courtesy, the University of Minnesota West Central Research and Outreach Center (WCROC) will be notified of the Morris campus’ status, but factors quite different from those considered by UMM influence WCROC decisions regarding cancellations or closures at the same times.