Grand Valley Police Department
Emergency Closing Policy
Policy Statement
Winter has nearly arrived and severe winter weather is likely to follow. The Grand Valley State University emergency closing policy is as follows.
In evaluating whether or not to close for snow-related reasons, the following criteria are used: 1) the ability of the University’s road crews to keep campus roads and parking lots cleared; 2) the conditions of primary and secondary roads in the area as reported by the State Police as well as the Ottawa County Central Dispatch Authority; 3) weather reports regarding the track of the storm and other changing conditions.
Because commuting students, faculty and staff come from such a broad geographic area, it is extremely difficult to arrive at a decision that is appropriate to each vicinity. Weather conditions rarely are uniform throughout this large area. There is no one decision that will satisfy everyone; however, a diligent effort is made to arrive at a reasonable decision that considers the safety of students as well as their right to receive instruction. Under no circumstances does GVSU ask students, faculty or staff to assume undue risk in traveling to class in inclement weather.
Policy & Procedures
No announcement is made when the university is open. Definition of the words “canceled” and “closed” as it pertains to GVSU employees:
Canceled:
Classes and activities will not be held. All staff are to report to work.
Closed:
Only ESSENTIAL employees are to report to work.
Grand Valley State University will close all or part of its operations only in case of extreme emergency caused by impassible roads, restricted visibility, violent weather, energy loss, or other conditions seriously endangering the health and safety of students, faculty and staff. Normally the Robert C. Pew Grand Rapids Campus will close only when the Allendale campus is closed.
The decision to close the Meijer Campus in Holland will be made taking into consideration local weather conditions and decisions made by other institutions in the immediate Holland area. If GVSU Allendale is closed, the Holland Campus is also closed.
When Muskegon Community College is closed, James L. Stevenson Center for Higher Education, Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC), and the Annis Water Resources Institute will be closed. When the decision is made to close the main Northwestern Michigan College campus in Traverse City, GVSU’s University Center will also close.
Students, faculty and staff should assume the University is open unless they hear otherwise on the radio or television or have been notified via the University’s Alert Notification System. To sign up for messages regarding University closings, visit www.gvsu.edu/emergencycontact. We ask that you do not to call the Grand Valley State University switchboard or Grand Valley Police Department to ask about closings.
For a more detailed update on campus conditions and area roads, tune to the Grand Valley State University radio stations, WGVU-FM 88.5 and WGVS-FM 95.3 and WGVU-AM 1480 and WGVS-AM 850. Every effort will be made to make the decision to close so that the announcement can be made over the stations as early as possible, but no later than 6:30 AM for daytime classes, and 3:00 PM for evening classes. Closings will also be posted at www.gvsu.edu and notifications will be made using the University’s Alert Notification System.
When classes are canceled, all staff is expected to report for work unless the closing announcement indicates that only “essential staff” needs to report. Designated personnel in the following departments are considered essential and are expected to report:
Grand Valley Police Department
Facilities Services
Fieldhouse Management
Food Service
Housing
Information Technology
Library
Pew Campus Operations
Pew Campus Security
WGVU-AM/FM/TV
Individual faculty members who wish to cancel a class or other event should do so only with permission of their Dean. In such cases, faculty members are responsible for notifying students for each class they teach.
EMERGENCY CLOSING DURING FINAL EXAMS
In the event that a closing would involve a specified exam day, those exams affected would be held on the next available day after the exam week has concluded. For example - If a Tuesday exam day were affected, the next available day after the conclusion of the exam week would be Saturday. If two exam days were affected, i.e. Wednesday and Thursday, Wednesday’s exam would take place on Saturday and Thursday’s exam would be the following Monday.
OVERNIGHT PARKING RESTRICTIONS
According to the Grand Valley Traffic and Parking Ordinance overnight parking is prohibited in any area other than residential lots except with permission of the Director of Public Safety Services. Parking between the hours of 3:00 A.M. and 7:00 A.M. shall be considered overnight parking”.
Parking overnight in Lots B2, D2-9, J, K-West, P, R, Calder Residence (O), GVA, Secchia Hall and the resident section of Watson (resident lots) shall require a resident permit or a temporary resident permit issued by Grand Valley Police Department or the Pew Campus Security office. During snow removal periods, any vehicle found to be in violation of the Ordinance will be subject to impoundment. Any questions should be referred to Grand Valley Police Department at (616) 331-3255 or Pew Campus Security at (616) 331-6677.
Page last modified January 9, 2013
