Winter Weather Policy
When road conditions are affected by winter weather, students and employees should use their best judgment to assess the risk of traveling to campus, based on their individual circumstances. Students and employees should communicate with their professors or supervisor if they are unable to travel safely.
In the event of severe weather during the school year, the provost will make the decision to announce a delayed in-person start or a shift to remote classes and work. In nearly all cases, classes will continue to be offered online and employees will work remotely. When classes are not in session the decision to shift to remote work will be made by the CFO.
The Provost will make the decision about in-person classes for the Newberg campus and Portland Center by 6:30 a.m. for daytime classes or 2:15 p.m. for evening classes. This applies to all days of the week, including Saturday. Decisions at the Redmond site will be made by the professor teaching the class.
Major considerations are road conditions, ice, utility service disruption, and how long the severe weather or emergency is likely to last. Decisions about classes can be found here:
- Check your George Fox email for a message from the Office of Academic Affairs.
- Visit the George Fox flashalert.net page or the FlashAlert Messenger App (available for iOS or Android). This will be the first site updated.
- Listen to local radio and television stations. Each campus will be identified separately.
- Call the George Fox University switchboard at 503-538-8383.
Employees and Remote Work
Classes and University Offices on Delayed Start
On such days, university offices will not open until an announced time in the day, most often 10 a.m. or noon. Students, faculty and staff are not required to report to campus prior to the announced start time, but are expected to attend class online or work remotely prior to the start time.
Faculty will need to communicate with students as soon as possible about their plan for alternative learning online until university offices open and in-person classes resume. If employees have any concerns with working remotely, they should contact their supervisor. Emergency essential personnel should still report to campus as scheduled.
Shift to Remote Classes and Remote Work
On such days, in-person classes will not be held and university offices will be closed all day, but students, faculty and staff are expected to attend class online or work remotely. Faculty will need to communicate with students as soon as possible about their plan for alternative learning online and staff will need to work remotely to the best of their ability. If employees have any concerns with working remotely, they should contact their supervisor. Emergency essential personnel should still report to campus for emergency operations.
Only in extremely rare cases would an emergency close the campus and also make online classes and remote work impossible.
Employee Frequently Asked Questions - Inclement Weather Policies and Procedures
On days when the university shifts to remote classes university operations will still continue with staff working from home. We understand not every staff employee is able to work from home in the same manner they can while on campus. Department leaders and supervisors should work with their areas to determine expectations. Staff employees who have laptops should plan to take their laptops home and forward work phones to their mobile phones when inclement weather is expected.
Q: I forgot to bring my laptop or other work home, what should I do?
A: Reach out to your supervisor for direction.
Q: How do I know if I am considered an emergency essential employee?
A: Employees whose responsibilities are vital to the continuity of university operations and who have been issued advance instructions by the appropriate manager to report to work in case of the campus closing/emergency. Managers are responsible for ensuring that essential personnel are aware that they must report to work for inclement weather or emergency conditions.
Q: What if I can’t safely make it to campus and can’t work remotely?
A: Our inclement weather employee pay policy is posted in our Employee Handbook.