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Campus Delays and Cancellations
During the winter months, severe weather conditions may disrupt normal campus operations. Weather conditions may necessitate a delayed opening, early dismissal, or all-day cancellation of Wilkes-Barre classes, activities, and work.
When the chancellor makes the decision to cancel classes and activities at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre campus or delay the start of classes, it will be announced with as much advanced notice as possible before the standard 8:00 a.m. reporting time for staff and before the start of the earliest scheduled classes. Decisions about evening classes will be made by 3:00 p.m., whenever possible. The campus will make its announcement through Penn State’s PSUAlert* system as well as on the campus message board (viewable online or on the on-campus blue screens), Facebook, and local television stations WNEP and WBRE.
Circumstances may call for:
- Delayed Start (if conditions seem to be improving but additional time is needed for travel to campus). Classes and activities that begin before the announced delay time are canceled; classes or activities beginning at or after the announced delay time will be held as originally scheduled. For example, when it is announced that the campus will open at 10 a.m. due to inclement weather, classes that begin before 10 a.m. are canceled and will not be held and classes beginning at 10 a.m. or later will continue on their regular schedule. (Please note: Penn State Wilkes-Barre no longer uses a compressed schedule.) Decisions about day classes will be made by 6:00 a.m. whenever possible, and public announcements will follow.
- Classes and Activities Cancelled (if poor conditions are predicted to continue all day and into the evening). This means that neither day nor evening classes will meet, all activities are cancelled, and offices will not be staffed. Only essential personnel are on duty at this time.
- Evening Classes and Activities Cancelled (if conditions are predicted to worsen into the evening). All evening classes, activities, and special events (those scheduled for 5 p.m. or later) are cancelled. Only essential personnel are on duty at this time. However, daytime classes are not cancelled.
- Daytime Classes and Activities Cancelled (if conditions are predicted to improve later, enabling evening classes to meet). There are no daytime classes or activities, and only essential personnel are on duty during the day. However, evening classes, activities, and special events (those scheduled for 5 p.m. or later) are not cancelled.
- Early dismissal (if conditions worsen through the day). As of the time of dismissal, all classes, activities, and special events (day and evening) are cancelled, and offices will not be staffed. Only essential personnel are on duty at this time.
Initial decisions by the campus administration are subject to revision based on changing weather conditions, so employees and students should check for updates if conditions seem to be deteriorating. For example, although daytime classes may run, evening classes could be cancelled later on.
All employees and students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety. Faculty, staff and students should use their own best judgment when considering traveling to campus or the need to leave early during times of inclement weather.
The campus community is reminded that during inclement weather, the Maintenance and Operations staff will be working diligently to clear sidewalks, parking lots and roadways as quickly as possible. In the event that normal operations are disrupted due to snow or other weather or emergency conditions, individuals are urged to avoid coming to campus. Those who must visit campus should remain alert and avoid sections of campus that may be covered in snow or ice.
Campus Police and Public Safety services remain operational during normal hours, regardless of the weather.
Cancelled Classes and Delivery Modes
Based on a course’s mode of delivery, the following actions apply during a change in normal campus operations:
- In-Person or Remote Synchronous (Zoom): The instructor can choose to cancel class altogether or offer content asynchronously (such as recording a lecture for students to watch at another time or asking students to complete a reading or other self-directed learning activity). However, the class may not meet remote synchronously (e.g., using Zoom) except for when extenuating circumstances exist (see Faculty Senate Policy 45-00), due to the fact that not all students and faculty may not have the same access to University facilities and resources (such as Wi-Fi or materials.
- Hybrid: If the class is scheduled to meet in-person on the day of the change in normal operations, then content can be offered asynchronously or the class can be cancelled. Otherwise, asynchronous content can be offered as planned.
- Remote asynchronous (Web): The class will continue to be offered as planned with no changes.
Delays
Following a delay, classes and activities beginning at or after the announced time for the resumption of normal campus operations will be held as originally scheduled. For example, in the case of a two-hour morning delay until 10 a.m. due to snow or ice, classes beginning at 10 a.m. or later will continue on their regular schedule, while classes scheduled to begin prior to 10 a.m. will be subject to the provisions outlined in the “Cancelled Classes and Delivery Modes” section above.
Individual Class Cancellations
Final Exams in Bad Weather
*As stated above, the University’s primary source for information on inclement weather is PSUAlert. Although signup for the PSUAlert system is reserved for students, faculty and staff, members of the public are encouraged to follow alerts via Facebook. Specific links for those who wish to follow PSUAlert messages on Facebook, as well as answers to frequently asked questions, can be found at psualert.psu.edu.