UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State officials are carefully monitoring the winter storm making its way across the Commonwealth tonight (Feb. 1), with several varying bands of weather to hit the Centre Region, as well as other University locations.
By the early hours of morning, officials will decide on any possible cancellation of classes and activities for the campuses. At University Park, if a decision for delay or cancellation of activities is made, students, faculty and staff can learn of it through Penn State's PSUAlert system, Facebook page, the Penn State News website and WPSU TV and radio.
All employees and students are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety. Faculty, staff and students should use their own best judgment when considering traveling to campus or the need to leave early during times of inclement weather. Faculty and staff should review Handling Weather Day Absences (Human Resources Guideline 10) at http://guru.psu.edu/policies/OHR/hrg10.html for specific information on how time missed for weather situations is handled.
For information on class attendance policies, students can visit http://www.psu.edu/ufs/policies/separate_policy/42-27.htm or http://handbook.psu.edu/content/class-attendance and http://studentaffairs.psu.edu/health/welcome/illnessVerification/.
When evaluating weather situations, officials at Penn State make judgment calls based on the best information available at any given time. Consultation among units begins when a storm is approaching – usually days in advance. Forecasts are checked and rechecked throughout the night and into the morning, to make a reasonable decision by 5 a.m. Hundreds of physical plant and public safety employees will be working around the clock to clear the campus. University Park has 13,000 surface parking lots, 32 miles of paved roads and streets, 25 miles of paved walkways and 11,000 doorways (most with steps).
For more information about weather decisions, visit http://news.psu.edu/story/181480/2014/11/24/penn-state-university-park-weather-faq