1. Business Continuity: The framework by which Converse University will mitigate the impacts and restore operations during and after an emergency condition or other disruptive incident to maximize the continuation and performance of department or unit services and functions.
2. Delayed Opening: A campus operating status based upon the weather or other emergency that delays or changes the schedules of on-campus administrative and academic functions.
3. Essential Employees: When normal university operations are disrupted because of weather impacts, certain employees are still needed on campus to support areas such as campus security and safety operations, dining, housing, health services, and utilities and information technology infrastructure and services, as well as to attend to research animals, veterinary clinical patients, experimental plants, and other sensitive and critical research operations. Units should identify their essential services and employees (or employee categories) who may be asked to report to work during a partial or full campus closure within their respective business continuity plans and develop contingency plans to deliver essential services with a reduced number of employees. Supervisors should ensure those employees understand their requirement to report to work and provide each employee an opportunity to discuss any issues or concerns.
4. Full Closing: A campus operating status based upon the weather or other emergency that closes on-campus administrative and academic functions, except selected emergency and essential services.
5. Inclement Weather: Expected or actual weather conditions that are severe enough to affect university vehicular traffic, university schedules, and/or other university operations.
6. Early Closing: A campus operating status based on weather or other emergencies that closes on-campus administrative and academic functions before their normally scheduled time.
7. Fully operational: resume normal day-to-day operations.
8. Limited operations: some operations may be limited.
- Any decision to modify operations will be made via official announcement and governed by concern for the safety of university faculty, staff, and students, as well as the ability to perform educational and service functions effectively. Decisions will also be based on the nature and degree of each inclement weather event and timing relative to academic and event calendars.
- When Converse University is closed due to inclement weather, the primary communication methods include campus email, the www.converse.edu homepage, the Campus Alert Safety Notification System (sign up at www.converse.edu/alerts), and local TV stations WSPA Channel 7, WYFF Channel 4, and FOX Carolina Channel 21. A recording with information will also be available on the Converse Weather Line at 864-583-4448.
- If the University is officially closed during severe weather or other emergencies, members of the administrative staff and support staff will not be expected to travel to the campus. Employees scheduled to work during the closure are not required to use accrued leave time for their absence as "inclement leave" is provided. Hourly employees should request leave for inclement weather based on scheduled hours missed or the daily average of hours worked per week, rounded to the nearest quarter.
Please note: If it is necessary for the University to be closed for more than two business days during a fiscal year, the appropriate Dean/Vice President may specify a designated time to make up missed work. Employees who do not work this designated time must use vacation or personal leave for their absences. (Closed for two days requirement has been Waived for Helene impact).
UPDATE DUE TO HELENE
To make up for lost instructional time, Fall Break (October 7-8) will be canceled. The campus will reopen on Monday, October 7th. In lieu of fall break next week, we will make Oct 7th -11th inclement weather eligible. This will allow employees to use inclement weather categories as appropriate to help rebuild and restore after the impact of the hurricane/tropical storm. Any personal time, such as vacations, should be recorded as such
Non-Exempt Hourly Employees should request "Inclement Weather" from the leave options in isolved to compensate for hours they were scheduled to work between 9/27 and 10/4.
Fulltime employees working the standard schedule should request 8.5 hours for an entire day Monday – Thursday and 6 hours for Friday. This is due to the fact that Converse accrues time off based on a 40-hour work week and requires employees to take time off based on the same calculation.
The Fall Break holidays on 10/7 & 10/8 will be removed from the timecards by isolved and non-exempt hourly employees should enter their hours worked on these days. If additional leave is needed after 10/4, employees should use "Personal Leave" or "Vacation".
- If the University is not closed and fully operational, but an employee cannot come to work, the employee should notify his/her immediate supervisor. Personal leave time (or vacation leave if the employee does not have any accrued personal leave) may be used for time off. If the University is on limited operations, guidance will be communicated as flexible work arrangement or accrued personal leave may be applicable.
- Essential employees considered critical to the operation of the University are expected to report to work in severe weather. Campus Safety Officers are classified as critical to the operation of the University. If other position classifications are designated as critical, employees will be informed by their supervisor.
This policy is adopted to support the safety and well-being of University faculty, staff, and students during periods of inclement weather or other emergency events such as heavy snow, ice, severe winds, power outages, or flooding, while also ensuring that essential and critical services are provided to the campus. As an undergraduate residential University, the institution is closed when weather necessitates modifications to in-person classes, on-campus services, and other aspects of regular operations and work schedules. With due consideration of safety, the university will often remain fully operational to the greatest extent possible.
The university wishes to protect the safety of its community members, research, and facilities in periods of inclement weather. Toward that end, the university is committed to operational consistency and efficiency when a change in operating status is warranted.
All members of the Converse community.
Version History
-definitions, scope, purpose, and other language have been added for clarification of the policy due the Helene Impact - KJG