During challenging winter weather conditions, faculty, staff and students should make every reasonable effort to get to and remain on campus for their regularly scheduled commitments so services can be maintained.
At the same time, safety is very important, and all individuals are advised to always use good judgment about the risks of travel. Heading into the winter months, it is a good time of year to review departmental practices related to winter weather emergencies.
Though it is rare for MSU to suspend operations due to weather, all departments should have emergency plans in place that:
- Identify critical functions that must continue during a weather-related closing.
- Identify essential employees who need to work to sustain critical functions if MSU suspends operations.
- Identify how to communicate work instructions to essential employees during suspended operations.
- Identify opportunities for general daily work to continue through telecommuting when appropriate.
It also is a good time to review and encourage employees to review their preferences at MSU Alert. By visiting alert.msu.edu/, members of the MSU community can sign up for alerts via landline phone message, text message and email. In the case of inclement weather (or any emergency), supervisors, staff and faculty are encouraged to monitor alert.msu.edu/, where information and updates will be posted.
Finally, for those working during times of heavy snow, remember parking may be limited to MSU ramps, and drivers should use one of the following campus entrances: Shaw Lane at Hagadorn Road, Shaw Lane at Harrison Road, Collingwood Drive at Grand River Avenue or Mount Hope Road at Farm Lane. These entrances will be high priority areas for plowing.
For help getting around campus during snow events, follow these tips:
- Report an area in need of snow or ice removal by emailing dispatch@ipf.msu.edu or by calling (517) 353-1760. For areas near university residence halls, inform the facility manager.
- Use the main entrance of a building during a snow event.
- Work with snow-removal experts to ensure safety. Snow-removal equipment is large, loud and difficult to stop. Avoid darting out in front of or behind such equipment, and make eye contact with a snow-removal driver before crossing the street in front of them.
- On sidewalks: Avoid parking so close to the sidewalk that the car’s bumper hangs over the walk. It creates an obstacle for snow-removal equipment.
- In parking lots: If possible, park in the plowed areas of parking lots to help snow-removal workers quickly clear the unplowed areas without navigating around vehicles.
- In residence hall loops: Parking is prohibited in these loops between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. to allow snow-removal workers time to clear them.
- Do not chain bikes to signs. It is illegal on campus and creates obstacles for snow-removal equipment.