3.19 Severe Weather Closures

It is the policy of Macalester College to remain open during most periods of severe weather. However, where extraordinary circumstances warrant, the college reserves the right to close campus. Employees will be notified by email if the campus is closed during severe weather. 

Even when the campus is closed, certain employees are critical to maintaining essential operations and safety for the students who reside on campus. Employees in critical roles may be asked to report to campus even in the event of severe weather closures. 

During a campus closure, we expect that employees who are not required to report to campus will complete their work from home. Employees who are unable to complete their job duties from home will be compensated for the equivalent amount of time they were scheduled to work. If severe weather is anticipated for the following day, employees should bring home their laptops and any other work materials needed for work from home. 

Classes

In the event of a severe weather closure, faculty and staff who teach will decide whether their classes will meet virtually or not at all. Faculty and staff who teach are strongly encouraged to communicate with students as soon as possible about their plans for classes.

Reporting to Campus During a Severe Weather Closure

Employees who are required by their manager to physically report to campus will receive their normal compensation. In addition, the employee will receive the equivalent number of hours they worked on campus as time off leave that they can use in the current or following pay period. Employees who are not required to report to campus but choose to do so will not be eligible for additional time off leave.

Closure Timing

In the event a closure is designated as a full day — the severe weather closure rules apply starting at midnight and ending at 11:59 PM on the day designated. In the event the campus closure starts or ends at a specific time during the work day, specific close and open times will be provided in the official announcement and the severe weather closure rules apply during that time only.

Time Reporting: 

• Exempt Staff: No special leave reporting is required during a severe weather closure.
• Nonexempt Staff (not required to report to campus): If you are scheduled to work during a day when there is a severe weather closure, report time worked from home as “Time Worked”. If you were only able to work part of your shift, report the balance of your time as “Severe Weather Closing”.  If you are unable to complete work from home, mark your scheduled time as “Severe Weather Closing.”
• Nonexempt Staff (required to report to campus): If you were scheduled to work and required to report to campus, report hours work as normal on your timesheet. 

As with other paid leaves, time associated with the “Severe Weather Closing” category does not count toward the weekly overtime limit as defined by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), since these are not “hours worked.” 

Severe Weather Events When Macalester Remains Open

In the event Macalester remains open during a severe weather event, employees will need to make their own decision about whether it is safe to report to work during such weather. Working from home is a possibility for many positions. Employees must advise their manager as soon as possible if they are unable to report to work due to severe weather, and the manager should confirm if work from home is an option. If an employee is not able to report to work when campus is open and they are not able to work from home, the employee will be required to use vacation time, sick leave (if caring for a child/dependent) or leave without pay when they do not have any leave time available.

If faculty members cannot report to work because of weather, it is up to them as to whether they hold class virtually or cancel class. Faculty are strongly encouraged to communicate this information as soon as possible to their students. 

Student Employees

Typically, students will not work when there is a campus closure, unless their work is related to essential services and they receive approval from their supervisor. Supervisors should work with their student employees to reschedule any work hours that were missed due to a severe weather closure. Consistent with federal work/study guidelines, student employees should only report time they actually work during a designated severe weather closure.