Penn State Harrisburg reminds community of inclement weather-related guidelines

Lion Shrine at Penn State Harrisburg covered in snow
Credit: Sharon Siegfried

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. – As late fall and winter approach, Penn State Harrisburg is reminding the campus community of the University’s inclement weather guidelines.

Delays and cancellations due to weather are communicated to faculty, staff, and students through the PSUAlert system, the campus website, the Penn State Go app (download required), and the college social media channels, including  Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter). Local television and radio stations also inform the public of delays and cancellations.

Although signup for the PSUAlert system is reserved for students, faculty and staff, members of the public are encouraged to follow alerts via Facebook and Twitter.

All faculty, staff and students are asked to use their best judgement about traveling during inclement weather. Faculty and staff may refer to Human Resources Guideline 10 for information about time missed due to weather conditions. Students should review class attendance policies at Undergraduate Education E-11 and Faculty Senate Policy 42-27. Employees covered by collective bargaining agreements should refer to their agreement.

Classes

If normal campus operations are disrupted because of inclement weather or an emergency, a course’s usual delivery mode will determine the manner of delivery until return to normal operation. In-person classes may be canceled, or content may be offered asynchronously; hybrid courses may be canceled or offered asynchronously; web courses may continue as planned. For a full explanation, see harrisburg.psu.edu/weather.

Employees

Supervisors should discuss plans for disruptions with employees. Employees performing “essential” services should report to campus as directed and will be eligible for Campus Closure Compensatory Time, subject to guideline provisions. All other employees should not report to work until normal campus operations resume and are eligible for Campus Closure Pay per University guidelines. Guidance for employees is available at harrisburg.psu.edu/weather.

When Penn State Harrisburg announces a delayed opening time, classes and activities that begin before any announced delay time are canceled. Classes or activities beginning at or after the announced delay time will be held as originally scheduled. For example, when it is announced that the campus will open at 10 a.m. due to inclement weather, classes that begin before 10 a.m. are canceled and will not be held. In this example, classes beginning at 10 a.m. or later will continue on their regular schedule. Similarly, when the college announces an early dismissal, classes beginning at or after the announced dismissal time are canceled.

Although classes and events may be canceled or delayed due to inclement weather, the campus is still open to provide critical services to the students who live on campus, including housing and food. Police Services and other emergency services also remain operational around the clock, regardless of the weather.

For information on Penn State Harrisburg’s weather policies, visit harrisburg.psu.edu/policy/c-5-inclement-weather.