Procedures: Timing of cancellations and closures
The following information is an excerpt (Section 4) from the university’s Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Closure policy and procedure.
Every effort will be made to communicate a firm decision as early as possible, taking into consideration that some staff work evening, night, or weekend/holiday shifts.
Morning closure
When a decision is made to close the university in the early morning, every effort will be made to confirm closing by 5:30 a.m. and, where possible, the duration of the closing will be specified.
If the duration of the closure is only until 12:30 p.m. any subsequent decisions to extend the closure for the balance of the day and evening will be made and communicated by 11 a.m.
If a closure for less than a full academic/business day, only those events, shifts, or activities scheduled to commence after the re-opening time will proceed as scheduled.
Daytime closure
When a decision is made to close the university after classes and business hours have started for the day, the closing will specify whether the closing is immediate or at a stated hour. Unless otherwise specified, the closing continues from that hour until the beginning of work on the next possible day.
An activity (class, lab, or examination) that would continue past the specified closing hour is cancelled or rescheduled in its entirety.
The closing will be effective until the next morning, by which time a decision will be made whether the university will be closed for any portion of the following day.
Weekend and/or holiday closure
When a decision is made to close the university on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, the Emergency Management Response Team (EMRT) or the Office of Campus Safety will notify a designated person in each department that has identified themselves to Office of Campus Safety as having activities scheduled or staff on duty.
Units that have scheduled overnight campus events or activities overnight, on a weekend or holiday, or who have staff scheduled for duty overnight or on a weekend day or holiday, are responsible for providing the name of an emergency contact person to the Office of Campus Safety prior to the event.
If the conditions involve the north Oshawa campus location, the decision to close will be made by the EMRT on behalf of the presidents of both institutions.
