University Weather Notifications/Payroll Procedures

Below are four broad definitions of inclement weather-related actions for the campus to be familiar with. In all four actions, the President will make the decision on the appropriate action to take, if any. When inclement weather is present in the region, all faculty are expected to work with students in regards to class attendance and assignments. Supervisors are defined as Deans, Chairs, Directors, and other employees responsible for the direct supervision of staff, are also expected to work within existing policies and the procedures described in the actions below.

For FY24, it is important to note that any of the below scenarios may be modified to continue campus teaching, learning and operations in a remote manner as opposed to canceling classes and reporting to campus for work. In these situations, only essential employees will be required to report to the campus. Faculty, staff, students and Department heads should prepare for these situations and be prepared to conduct their responsibilities remotely/online if weather closures require that. 

I. University Weather Advisory: Rather than deciding to close the university or to cancel classes, the President may authorize the issuance of University Weather Advisory.  This will be a safety advisory only and will not entail the cancellation of classes or closure of the campus.

• Employees currently at work should continue to work at straight time unless standard overtime is worked.  If an employee feels they should leave work early due to inclement weather, they should notify their supervisor.  An employee leaving work should report all time for their remaining shift as vacation time.  If vacation time is not available, the time should be reported as excused without pay.
• Employees scheduled for shifts starting subsequent to the University Weather Advisory should report to work as usual. If an employee feels they cannot report to work early due to inclement weather, they should notify their supervisor. The employee should report all time for their shift as vacation time. If vacation time is not available, the time should be reported as excused without pay.

II. University Weather Classes Delayed or Cancelled:  The President may authorize the delayed starting time or the cancellation of classes. This scenario does not include the closure of the campus. The campus will remain open and all faculty and staff are expected to report to work at their normal work site, based on prior arrangements and direct communication with their Dean, Chair, Director or direct supervisor.   

• Classes
  1. Classes will not be pushed back or rescheduled. Classes will resume at the next scheduled class time.
  2. If the main campus in Murray cancels classes, classes at all regional locations will be cancelled also.
  3. If the main campus in Murray does NOT cancel classes, classes at the regional sites will follow the action announced by the community college in the respective communities.

• Employees currently at work should continue to work at straight time unless standard overtime is worked. If an employee feels they should leave work early due to inclement weather, they should notify their supervisor. An employee leaving work should report all time for their remaining shift as vacation time. If vacation time is not available, the time should be reported as excused without pay.

• Employees scheduled for shifts starting subsequent to the announcement should report to work as usual. If an employee feels they cannot report to work early due to inclement weather, they should notify their supervisor. The employee should report all time for their shift as vacation time. If vacation time is not available, the time should be reported as excused without pay.

Situations could occur when the campus will remain open, but only essential faculty and staff will be expected to report to work on campus per instructions from their Dean, Chair, Director or direct supervisor. This will be clear in the communication and when this occurs, employee time should be reported as described in section III. below.

III. University Campus Closure:  The President may authorize the closure of campus and operations cease for the day or portion of the day. A closure time will be declared. All events will be cancelled and facilities, with the exception of residence halls and the Winslow Cafeteria, will be closed.

• Classes
  1. If the main campus in Murray is closed, all regional locations will be closed also, all face-to-face and on-line classes are cancelled for the period of the closure.
  2. If  the main campus in Murray is NOT closed, regional sites will follow the action announced by the community college in the respective communities.
• Employees currently at work should leave work upon the declaration (after notifying their supervisors and will be paid straight time for the remainder of their scheduled shift that falls after the closure time).
• Employees that have not yet reported to work at the time of closure will receive straight time pay for their regular scheduled shift that falls within the closure period. Employees not scheduled to work on the day, on vacation, or are on leave on the day of closure will not receive closure pay.
• Employees considered essential personnel should remain on the job or report to work per supervisor’s instructions.
  1. Non-Exempt emergency employees will receive pay according to MSU Personnel Policy III D. 6.  Overtime and Exceptional Compensation.
  2. Exempt personnel are paid as usual and if required to report to work, no added “comp” time should be utilized.

IV. University Campus Moves to Remote Teaching/Learning and Operations:  The President may authorize the campus move to remote teaching/learning and all operations. A remote time will be declared. Some events may continue to occur and some facilities may remain open. These events and facilities will be announced each day of remote work.

• Classes
  1. If the main campus in Murray is remote, all regional locations will be remote also, and teaching/learning should continue.
  2. If the main campus in Murray is NOT remote, regional sites will follow the action announced by the community college in the respective communities 
• Non-essential employees currently at work on campus when moving to remote status, should leave work upon the declaration and resume remote work at their home.
• Non-essential that have not yet reported to work at the time the declaration is effective should remain home and work per their supervisor’s remote work plan.
• Deans, Chairs, Directors, and other employees responsible for the direct supervision of staff are responsible for having remote work plans developed for all non-essential faculty and staff for occasions when the campus moves to a remote work period. It is essential that supervisors plan ahead of time and ensure employees are prepared to work remotely. This work may vary from their day-to-day work, as some employees may use remote days to review policies and procedures, do training opportunities, develop departmental procedures at the direction of their supervisor.
  • Human Resources will provide a list of suggested remote work topics that may be helpful to supervisors.
• All Deans and Chairs are expected to work with their areas of responsibility to have readiness plans in place to continue teaching/learning on remote work days and be prepared to enact this option in a timely manner and communicate remote class requirements to all of their students. 

When a decision is made regarding any of the above actions, information will be communicated through administrative channels to employees in the following manner:

1. University and community notification procedures will be facilitated by the University Communications Office.

University Weather communication will be released via the following:

1. All user email 
2. University social media accounts
3. MSU Home page
4. WKMS

Once items I –IV above are complete, the MSU Police Department will issue a text message to all users.

2. Each VP will notify all unit heads within his/her jurisdiction by email and/or phone call of the declaration. Each department head will then notify employees in the unit in as expeditious manner as possible.
3. Essential employees are defined by supervisors (Deans, Chairs, Directors, and others who supervise faculty and staff), and may vary over different points in time. Supervisors are responsible for ensuring their direct reports understand when they are an essential employee. This may be always, or again, during certain periods in a semester or events. The Director of Breathitt Veterinary Center and the Executive Director for the Center of Adult and Regional Education will recommend advisory/closure actions for their respective facilities to the Provost, who will integrate the decisions and communication into the general decision-making process of the University. 

Attachments

Please view the attached documents under Attachments to the right of or near the bottom of this article.

• University Weather Notifications/Payroll Procedures (Internal_WEATHER_PROCEDURES_-_January_2024_v2.pdf)
  • PDF updated 01-10-2024
• Remote Teaching-Learning and Operations Supervisor Checklist (Remote_Teaching-Learning_and_Operations_Supervisor_Checklist.pdf)
  • PDF updated 01-10-2024

Mobile Alerts/Racer Alerts

If the university campus is closed or classes are cancelled or delayed, mobile alerts will be sent to notify campus personnel. To ensure receipt of emergency notifications (including weather-related emergencies) from the https://murraystate.edu/RacerAlert system, the University encourages all employees and students to update their contact information through their myGate accounts.