Severe Weather Notification Plan: Winona Campus

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

The University Communications Office posts a list of canceled classes in an orange "Severe Weather Alert" section on WSU's Main Home Page: http://www.winona.edu.

The Web site is 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 for the announcement to be included in the updated Web site cancellation listing.

Severe winter weather conditions may result in any of the following actions:
(1) closing the University,
(2) cancellation of all classes,
(3) cancellation of non-academic activities,
(4) delayed opening.

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

NOTE: Whenever there are closings and/or cancellations related to severe weather, a campus-wide e-mail will be sent. The information will then be posted on the WSU Home Page and updated at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

**The Winona State University Communication Office is the official source 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 and extracurricular activities are canceled. 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 that 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:

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 Severe Weather related class cancellations, the WSU Communications office posts a list of canceled classes in an orange "Severe Weather Alert" section on WSU's Home Page. The posting contains specific information about severe weather closing or class cancellations on days when such events occur.

 

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How can students and faculty find out if all classes are canceled?
Please do not call the Switchboard. Instead, consult the WSU Home Page. You can also tune in to any of the news media listed above that are notified by the University when all classes are canceled, 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 the Winona 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 AMikkelsen@winona.edu). When individual classes are cancelled the WSU Communications office sends a campus-wide announcement and posts the list of canceled classes in an orange "Severe Weather Alert" section on the WSU Home Page. The listing is updated at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m. to reflect new information. 

How can students find out if any of their classes are canceled?
Please do not call the Switchboard. The best way to find out which classes are canceled is to check the list of canceled classes in the orange "Severe Weather Alert" section on the WSU Home Page. When faculty members cancel classes due to severe weather, the list of cancellations is posted on the homepage and updated at 7:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 12 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.

How can people find out if scheduled non-academic events are canceled?
Cancellation of non-academic events such as basketball games, concerts and plays will be announced by the same news media identified above. Canceled events will also be posted in an orange "Severe Weather Alert" section on the WSU Home Page.

Last Modified: Friday, November 20, 2009 12:48