UCM Students and Employees Receive Updates on Winter Weather Procedures

The University of Central Missouri is entering the time of year when weather can change quickly in this region. For those students and employees who may be new to campus, and as a reminder to others, the university asks you to consider items shared below as winter approaches. Your safety is the university’s number one priority.

·  Any modification to university operations is announced through official UCM channels including email, social media feeds and Textcaster text messaging service (If you haven’t yet signed up for Textcaster, visit ucmo.edu/textcaster to sign up). We also notify local/KC media, but the best source is always UCM official channels.

·  We strive to announce any modifications in as timely a manner as possible to facilitate planning. However, the uncertainty of the timing and severity of any forecasted weather event typically requires that we wait until we have as much information as possible before modifying university operations. If we haven’t announced we are closed, then we are operating under normal operations. We typically announce only modifications to operations, not that “we’re going to be open.”

·  We factor in a significant amount of local and regional information when deciding whether to modify operations for weather. However, it is impossible to know the conditions of every street and road used by employees and students to get to campus, especially considering all the various communities represented by our commuters (whether in Warrensburg or Lee’s Summit, for example). Thus, you should always use good, personal judgment in determining whether it is safe for you to travel to campus. If you cannot make it to class, please contact your instructors.

· In inclement weather, you should also check your course Blackboard page for course specific updates, announcements and assignments.

· Please keep in mind that while every effort is made to keep outdoor stairways, sidewalks and parking lots clear during inclement weather, some places may remain slick. Always use caution when venturing across campus during bad weather.

We appreciate your cooperation, and will keep you updated when university operations change due to weather.