UCM Offers Reminder About Winter Weather Procedures

By Nicole Lyons, January 14, 2025

 

As we enter a season when weather can change quickly in our region, we want to remind everyone—especially new students on the University of Central Missouri (UCM) campus—of our procedures designed to help you avoid hazardous conditions. 

Weather Announcements: We strive to announce any changes to university operations as promptly as possible to help you plan accordingly. However, due to the unpredictability of weather, we typically wait until we have as much information as possible before modifying university operations.

 

Stay Informed: Any modifications to university operations will be announced through official UCM channels, including the UCM website, email, social media feeds and the TextCaster text messaging service. If you haven't signed up for Textcaster, please visit ucmo.edu/textcaster. We also notify local and Kansas City area media, but the best source of information is always UCM's official channels.

 

Assume Normal Operations Unless Otherwise Announced: If we haven't announced a closure or modification, then the university is operating normally. We typically only announce changes, not confirmations that the university remains open.

 

Use Personal Judgment: We consider a broad range of local and regional information when deciding on weather-related operational changes. However, we cannot be aware of the specific conditions on every road used by students and staff, especially given the variety of locations from which our community members commute. You should always use well-considered 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. Staff should contact their supervisors per office policy.

 

Check Blackboard or Brightspace: During inclement weather, check your course's Blackboard or Brightspace page for course-specific updates, announcements and assignments. In general, online classes are not affected by weather closures. However, some in-person classes may move to a virtual learning day during weather-related campus closures.

 

Exercise Caution: 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 moving around campus during bad weather.

We will keep you updated on any changes to university operations due to weather conditions. Thank you for your cooperation.