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Severe Weather Notification Plan: Winona Campus

Severe winter weather conditions may cause individual class and/or event cancellations even though the campus remains open.

In the event of weather-related cancellations, the University Communications Office will post a list of cancellations in an orange "Severe Weather Alert" section on the WSU homepage. The list will be updated at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. to reflect new information.

Exceptions will be made only if all classes are cancelled or the campus closes. In case of imminent adverse weather conditions—such as a tornado or flood advisory—additional methods of communication will be employed for campus notification purposes.

Faculty or office managers may notify University Communications at any time of class cancellations, but requests must be submitted 15 minutes prior to the posting time to be included in the updated cancellation listing.

Severe winter weather conditions may result in any of the following actions:

closing the University
cancellation of all classes
cancellation of non-academic activities
delayed opening

These actions will be decided by WSU Administration and publicly announced using various media resources.

NOTE: In the event of a weather-related cancellation, a campus-wide email will be sent. Subsequent cancellations will be posted on the WSU homepage and updated at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

**The Winona State University Communications Office and the WSU homepage are the official sources for information on closings and cancellations.**

Groups and individuals sponsoring evening and weekend events that are canceled due to severe weather conditions should contact WSU Security at 507.457.5555 to initiate an event cancellation posting on the WSU homepage.

WSU students, faculty and staff are urged to make cautious decisions regarding travel. If you feel the weather is too threatening, contact your professors and/or supervisors and explain your situation.

How can students and employees find out if the University is closed?

Because WSU is primarily a residential student campus, closings are rare. When weather conditions are extreme and pose a serious danger for travel within the City of Winona, the campus may close.

When the campus is officially closed, all classes, events and extracurricular activities are cancelled. The decision to close University Center Rochester is made independent of the Winona Campus and in consultation with the UCR partner institutions.

Please note that WSU only announces closings or cancellations. If you hear nothing about WSU being closed, assume the campus is open and classes are being held as scheduled.

The decision to close the Winona campus is normally made by 6 a.m. The decision to cancel evening classes is normally made by 3 p.m. University officials will notify the following news media. To verify media announcements on campus closings/class cancellations, consult the WSU homepage. The WSU homepage is the official source for information on closings and cancellations.

Print/Online:

Winona
Winona Daily News
www.winonadailynews.com

Radio:

Winona	Rochester	Red Wing	La Crosse	Twin Cities
KQAL 89.5-FM KAGE 1380-AM KAGE 95.3-FM KWNO 1230-AM KWNO 99.3-FM KHME 101.1-FM	KNXR 97.5-FM KROC 106.9-FM KROC 1340-AM KYBA 105.3 KWWK 96.5 KLCX 103.9 KWEB 1270-AM KRCH 101.7-FM	KCUE 1250-AM KWNG 105.9-FM	WIZM 1410-AM WIZM 93.3-FM WKBH 100.1-FM WKTY 580-AM CC106.3-FM Magic 105 (104.9-FM) Eagle 102.7-FM Classic Rock 100.1-FM WLFN 1490-AM	WCCO 830-AM

Television:

Winona	Rochester	La Crosse	Twin Cities	Eau Claire
HBC Cable 20 and 25	KTTC - 10 KXLT - 47	WKBT - 8 (7) [7] WXOW - 19 (11) [18]	KSTP - 5 WCCO - 4	WEAU - 13

(The number in parentheses is Winona Charter Cable system's channel designation for La Crosse stations.)
[The number in brackets is Winona HBC Cable system's channel designation for La Crosse stations.]

Internet:

In the event of weather-related cancellations, the WSU Communications office will post a list of cancellations in an orange "Severe Weather Alert" section on WSU's homepage. The posting will contain specific information about severe weather closing or class cancellations on days when such events occur.

How can students and faculty find out if all classes are cancelled?

Please do not call the Switchboard. Instead, consult the WSU homepage. You can also tune in to any of the news media listed above that are notified by the University when all classes are cancelled, but remember the University is the official word on closings and cancellations. The decision to cancel all day classes is normally made by 6 a.m. unless weather conditions deteriorate during the day. The decision to cancel evening classes is normally made by 3 p.m.

How should instructors cancel individual classes?

Bad weather may prevent some faculty members from traveling to campus even though the campus is open. In such instances, individual faculty members should contact (1) their academic department, and (2) the Director of Public Information (507.457.5024 or AMikkelsen@winona.edu). In the event of a weather-related cancellation, a campus-wide email will be sent. Subsequent cancellations will be posted on the WSU homepage and updated at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

How should event organizers cancel events/activities occurring during evening hours or over the weekend?

Bad weather may force event organizers to cancel an event/activity scheduled during evening hours or over the weekend. If possible, the event sponsor should contact the University Communications Office (507.457.5024) ahead of time if inclement weather is predicted. When the final decision is made to cancel the event/activity, the sponsor should call WSU Security at 507.457.5555 to provide event details such as time, location and any rescheduling/ticketing information. The University Communications Office will post notice of such cancellations in an orange “Severe Weather Alert” section on the WSU homepage.

How can students find out if any of their classes are cancelled?

Please do not call the Switchboard. In the event of a weather-related cancellation, a campus-wide email will be sent. Subsequent cancellations will be posted on the WSU homepage and updated at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. As a last resort call the WSU Switchboard but realize that this line is hard to reach on snow days and is not staffed until 8 a.m.