Severe weather procedures @ UFV
Information for UFV students & employees
- Check for the latest reports on highway conditions at: www.drivebc.ca
- Check the Trans-Canada Highway webcams located at:
UFV will close due to severe weather conditions if:
- our buildings become unsafe (e.g. extended power outages, water damage, roof stress, etc.)
- it becomes impossible to maintain safe parking lots, sidewalks, or roads on campus
- there are road advisories or closures on the main highways between our three major campuses.
Otherwise UFV will remain open. Normal winter conditions, which often require extra caution and careful driving by students and employees alike, will not cause closures.
Decisions will be made as early as possible. Updates will be immediately posted to the www.ufv.ca home page, to the myUFV portal home page, and to the main telephone line at 1-888-504-7441. In addition, closure information is tweeted (follow us at www.twitter.com/goUFV) and provided to the following radio stations:
1. STAR FM on 98.3 FM in Chilliwack, and 100.5 FM in Hope.
2. Country 107 on 107.1 FM in Abbotsford.
3. The HAWK 89.5 FM Chilliwack.
4. CBC at 690 AM in Lower Mainland and Central Valley, 91.7 FM in Chilliwack.
5. The Beat on 94.5 FM in Lower Mainland
6. NEWS 1130 on 1130 AM in Lower Mainland (this feeds into JACK-FM)
Closure information is also provided to the Vancouver television stations, who may or may not choose to broadcast it.
Neither students nor employees will be required to travel if they genuinely believe it is unsafe for them to do so. Both will use their own discretion in making these judgments.
In the event of severe weather, the most likely scenarios are as follows:
a) Total closure of all campuses and regional centres and cancellation of all classes.
Or
b) Cancellation of all classes at one or more campuses but the campus will remain open for those who can travel safely.
Or
c) Closure of one campus only and classes cancelled on that campus only. The other main campus may remain open with classes there proceeding as scheduled. (This would occur only in exceptional circumstances.)
The Mission campus and Hope centre will be closed if both Abbotsford and Chilliwack campuses are closed. If either Chilliwack or Abbotsford campuses are open and local conditions at Mission or Hope are acceptable, either one may be kept open and a local announcement will be made.
Students who do choose to come to the campus even if classes are cancelled may use whatever services are available (i.e. library, writing centre).
If a campus is closed or classes cancelled during the daytime, the campus will remain closed and all classes will be cancelled for the evening as well.
Severe weather procedures – added information for UFV employees
If classes are cancelled but a campus is declared “open”, employees should use their own discretion about whether or not they can travel safely.
If a campus is declared “open” but a support staff member is unable to get to the campus, he/she should attempt to notify his/her supervisor.
Students who do come to the campus even if classes are cancelled should be able to use whichever services are available (i.e. library, writing centre).
If a faculty member is unable to travel to a class due to weather conditions, he/she should notify the faculty assistant for that campus.
The faculty assistant will collect this information and forward it to
- the respective deans
- all switchboard operators
- Marketing & Communications for posting to the online cancellations page, if appropriate.
Faculty members will try to contact students in the cancelled class, so that students do not travel unnecessarily to find that a class has been cancelled.
Under no circumstances should faculty or staff members contact the media directly regarding class cancellations. All media contact will be conducted by the Marketing & Communications office.
If a weather situation deteriorates quickly (i.e. a worsening storm causes a class cancellation during the day) announcements will be made to the radio stations and within the university from Marketing & Communications. These announcements will include information about the situation at all locations, and will be broadcast to all campuses and centres.
Internally this will include:
1. Posting on UFV website homepage and myUFV home page
2. UFV-all email
3. bulletins to key areas, when necessary
Externally the radio stations will remain the main source of information, along with the UFV website at www.ufv.ca
For current weather conditions:
» Abbotsford & Mission
» Agassiz
» Chilliwack
» Hope
Last updated Nov 25, 2010
