Promote the continued services and instruction of the university, while upholding the highest level of safety standards for all campuses; Belknap, HSC, and Shelby.

The University of Louisville operates as a publicly supported institution of higher education and presumes continuing services and instructional functions in so far as possible. Only the President of the University, or the University Provost acting on President’s behalf, has the authority to curtail non-instructional programs. Therefore, all faculty, staff, students, and administrators should adhere to the following guidelines:

When weather conditions or an emergency warrant a decision to deviate from normal schedules, UofL administration, when possible, will announce schedule changes for morning classes and office operations by 6:00 a.m. and for evening classes by 3:00 p.m. For the purposes of severe weather or emergency announcements, evening classes are those that begin at or after 4:15 p.m.

1. Delayed schedule - When administration announces a delayed schedule, it will cancel classes/office openings up to a certain time and then resume normal scheduling at that point. A delayed opening until 10:00 a.m., for instance, means that classes that end before 10:00 a.m. will be canceled. Students who normally would be in class at or after 10:00 a.m. should go wherever they would be at that time unless they have received other instructions from their instructor in advance. (Those previous instructions should be in the course syllabus.) If office openings have been delayed, staff will report to work at the delayed opening time.

2. Closure – When administration announces campus closures, the campus(s) will remain closed until 12:00 a.m. unless otherwise noted during the closure announcement or unless notified the following day by 6:00 a.m. regarding closures, cancelled or delayed schedules.

3. Early dismissal – When administration closes early, the campus(s) will remain closed until 12:00 a.m., unless otherwise noted during the closure announcement. Note: If the university is operating on a normal schedule, it will make no announcement.

4. Methods of Notification – UofL will provide official information regarding closures, cancellations or delays via:

1. A notice on the university home page. 
2. Text messages sent to students, faculty and staff who sign up for UofL Alerts. 
3. Alert messages sent to all dorm and office VoIP phones.
4. E-mails sent to students and employees on their university account.
5. A recorded message at 502-852-5555. Local media also will be contacted, but the most reliable sources are those above.

5. Guidelines for campus(s) and clinic closure - The UofL administration will provide instruction in the notification as to what areas of the university are affected by the alternate schedule or closure. UofL Clinical staff are required to check with their respective clinic regarding openings/closings during inclement weather or an emergency.
 
The following guidelines will be followed in the event that campus(s) and laboratories are closed, open on a delayed schedule or close early as a result of extreme weather conditions or an emergency:

1. All regular employees who are scheduled to work shall be granted administrative leave with pay during those hours when the university has been officially closed as a result of the action of the President or University Provost.
2. Classified staff required to work during a period of announced university closing in order to perform essential or specialized services shall be paid at a regular, straight-time rate for the hours worked up to 40 hours in a workweek and shall, in addition, be paid at a straight-time rate for an equal amount of time.   

6. Guidelines for Faculty and Staff Unable to Work due to Inclement Weather – Employees may determine whether it is feasible to come to work because of hazardous conditions in their areas, even though the university is open. All faculty and staff must notify either their department chair/department head or supervisor in advance regarding any delay in reporting to work due to inclement weather conditions.

Staff who need to miss work due to weather conditions must work with their supervisor to account for their leave with appropriate leave options. Examples of such leave are as follows: 

1. Take personal leave (classified staff); or
2. Take vacation leave;
3. Take leave without pay; or
4. Combine two or more of the preceding.