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Northern Arizona University sits at the foot of the highest peak in the state and receives an average snowfall of 100 inches per year—waking up to a blanket of white on the ground some days is inevitable. When you do, you may find yourself asking the following questions: There’s snow everywhere. What do I do?
How will I know if NAU has canceled classes and/or postponed operations? In general, faculty, staff and students should assume that NAU will continue to operate on a regular schedule despite inclement weather. On those rare occasions when classes are canceled and/or operations are delayed, the NAU Communications Office will provide notifications via:
To sign up to receive NAU Alert text messages, visit nau.edu/alert. How is the decision to close campus made? The university’s goal is to remain open when possible to provide the academic experience paid for by student and taxpayer dollars. However, the safety of faculty, staff and students is NAU’s top priority. Therefore, many factors are taken into account before a decision is made to change operations on the Flagstaff campus. In most cases, the decision to cancel classes and/or delay operations follows this formula: Crews on campus survey and plow the roads beginning at 2 a.m. NAU considers the condition of roads, parking lots and sidewalks on campus, as well as the condition of city and country roads. NAU police, emergency management and facility services team members drive throughout the community and freeways to assess the road conditions and make a recommendation to university leaders. NAU also coordinates with local stakeholders, including the City of Flagstaff, NAIPTA (bus service), Coconino County, Flagstaff Unified School District, Coconino Community College and the National Weather Service. NAU takes into consideration classes and events happening on campus while balancing the repercussions of canceling speakers, concerts or athletic events. Should I stay? Or should I go? Employees and students who are concerned about trying to get to work or class during inclement weather are encouraged to use their best judgment—your safety is NAU’s primary concern. Students who choose to stay home should contact their professors to make arrangements to turn in assignments later or learn what was missed. Employees who decide to stay home should call in and let their supervisor know following established department procedures. According to university policy, employees who lose work time due to weather concerns may use vacation time or take the time as leave without pay if vacation time is not available. NAU’s full snow closure policy for employees is available online at http://hr.nau.edu/apps/policy-manual/10313. |
Stay in the know for snow
Caitlyn says
I love how this page tells students in Flagstaff to drive with spikes or chains, which is actually illegal in the city of Flagstaff. This page only exists to make it look like NAU cares about the safety of its students. Coordinates with FUSD? Not at all, Flagstaff Unified builds snow days into their calendar, NAU does not. While the University might be the largest employer in the city, they also have a responsibility to the town to keep roads safe on heavy snow days. Whenever NAU stays open through sever weather, the city has a rise in car accidents and injuries from ice. Now I personally don’t feel that using the cities police department and emergency medical personnel for preventable accidents are acceptable when it was the responsibility of NAU. Late starts and early closures exists to prevent such accidents and NAU is trying to compete with other Arizona universities that reside in the desert and are not subject to heavy snow. Instead of trying to compete and grown NAU, the university should be working on sustaining the students they have and preventing harm during snow days.
NAU News says
Hi Caitlyn,
As mentioned, students, faculty and staff who are concerned about trying to get to work or class during inclement weather are encouraged to use their best judgment. Students who choose to stay home should contact their professors to make arrangements to turn in assignments later or learn what was missed.
The City of Flagstaff encourages the use of chains and studded tires. More information can be found online: https://www.flagstaff.az.gov/176/Snow-and-Ice-Operations.
Rose says
It is important to know that students are often penalized for missing class regardless of their safety is taken into account or not.
Ruth says
Rose has an excellent point. If NAU cares about our education then they should also care about the fact that missing classes may affect our grades. In most cases, missing two or more classes, regardless of weather conditions, will drop a student a whole letter grade. As Caitlyn pointed out, NAU must take responsibility for their students safety by implementing snow days into their calendar and should require professors to do the same, especially during the spring semester where Flagstaff usually receives most of this dangerous weather. However, I’m sure it is difficult for our President to truly know the dangers of this weather and take the correct precautions as she sits two hours away in phoenix. NAU should also acknowledge the severe dangers students who do not live on campus have to go through in order to avoid being penalized and the undeniably high rates of accidents in Flagstaff when NAU is open and every other school in the district is not. If NAU truly “cared” you would implement safety precautions to avoid students becoming involved in these preventable life-threatening dangers. For example, a safety precaution like snow days would remove the possibility of students being at risk of injury during inclement weather.
Natalie says
I agree! I lose attendance points/ assignment points because the roads in my neighborhood haven’t been plowed or because I feel that the ice on roads make them unsuitable and dangerous to drive on? So unfair.
Taylor says
Yes, use our judgement of whether to risk injury to our bodies or definitely hurt our GPA’s. Thank you for giving us that choice.
Janina says
If I live on a county road in Munds Park which doesn’t get snow-plowed in the morning and I am unable to drive out to I-17 (yes, I do shovel my driveway) as with a heavy snowfall the road can be unpassable even for my 4-wheel drive crossover, do I still need to take leave without pay if cannot make it to work? The snow-plowing of the road is the responsibility of the county.
NAU News says
Hi Janina,
Please work with your supervisor to figure out a solution.
Sonya Burke says
2.18.19 – There is a Winter Storm Warming in effect with http://www.theweathernetwork.com advising :
1. Traffic is very difficult to impossible;
2. Significant reduction in visibility;
3. 4-8 additional inches expected from 3-11 today after a foot has already fallen.
How is this not a hazard to so many students driving to campus? Irresponsible decision on behalf of NAU in my opinion and Yes I’ve read your guidelines. Have a system in place that allows students the ability to take classes online in lieu of driving in dangerous conditions.
Elise Lamont says
This is such a scam. You just care about your money and not the safety of students. Two years ago school was cancelled for less dangerous weather than this but Rita doesnt care as long as she can stay home while we all risk our lives to go to class out of fear of failing.
Taylor says
I am appalled at NAU’s decision to keep campus open today. How are we supposed to get to campus if the roads are terrible/dangerous and all the news stations and ADOT are all saying to avoid travel? There is a winter storm warning and an advisory in affect. You say that you leave it to our best judgement whether or not we stay home or go to class. However, if we decide to put our safety first, unlike NAU has, then we will have to forfeit points in our classes for an absence. Many students can not afford to be absent from their classes, however, they are left with no choice but to put themselves at risk to go to class. If NAU is actually coordinating with the Nation Weather Service, then they would know that the conditions of travel are not safe. Just because the campus is cleared of snow, does not mean that other parts of Flagstaff and many neighborhoods where students live are safe to travel on. Neighborhoods are the last priority of the city to be cleared of snow and cindered. It has been made clear, many times, that the safety of students and faculty is not a primary concern for NAU, nor is it a top priority.
Kelsey says
It is completely ridiculous that NAU did not, at the very least, choose to delay the start of classes in the morning and cancel evening classes today. I, as a student who lives off of campus, would have been completely on board to “use my discretion” in deciding whether or not to attend today, but felt forced to take the risk and attend, as attendance is MANDATORY and I receive a grade for this attendance. To not show up, because of snowy conditions, would negatively affect my academic success. Additionally, the lack of action taken by school administration today, has nothing to do with competition with other schools, as multiple other colleges and universities already did not have classes today because it is a holiday. CCC, GCU, and Embry Riddle are 3 of many other schools who had classes cancelled already today, regardless of weather conditions, as well as the entire FUSD. NAU continuining to have a regular schedule today is, not only unsafe and dangerous for students, staff, and others on the road, but is also disrespectful and selfish in nature.
Patricia Ellsworth says
In the 25 years I have worked at NAU, it has been rare that the university closes because of snow. This policy has been in place for a very long time and has nothing to do with the current university administration. That said, in my experience supervisors have been flexible with employees who live in areas that do not get plowed. I also think that faculty should be flexible with students who have trouble getting to campus during heavy snow events. My car has studded snow tires during the winter and I wear traction cleats on my boots when there is ice.
Geoff says
I think it unfortunate the university seems to wait until the last possible minute (6am tomorrow morning??) to make a decision – words like “closely monitoring” certainly give the impression that the decision-makers are doing all they can to not close the university. This mindset probably leads to a decision not to close as more likely. In this case the current weather warning has been out for 12 (?) hours, along with all the pleas not to drive unless essential. The amount of snowfall and its probability of occurring have not changed much in the last 48 hours. Are we hoping for a change in the storm so the it will not be as bad as forecast? To make a decision earlier would not only seem more objective but aid students in planning travel (many are deciding whether to leave early and miss classes due to commitments elsewhere later in the week), aid professors to deal with rescheduling midterm tests and class presentations and staff in planning for what needs to be done.
Meredith says
If an institution does not implement a snow day for the weather that is expected, then its policy should be “no snow days.” It would clarify a great deal of what has been masquerading for “decision-making” the past years.
Carol says
If an institution doesn’t have a snow day for the weather that is expected, then snow days are not a part that institution’s policy. It’s pretty simple. Own up to it and you can cease the fanfare — announcing NAU’s weather partnerships — that is masquerading as “decision making.”
Jimmy Corgler says
Oof
John Madden says
So i had a friend who fell and disloacted her Knee on Monday while walking to the university. She still had to come to class because the professors didnt belive her. While it heavily depends on the professor most of them just dont care. I feel like NAU just dosent care about student welfare despite what they say to the contrary.
Taylor says
I completely agree with all of the above comments. I actually had a teacher send out an email cancelling an exam which was scheduled for the 18th because of many people possibly being absent because of the weather. I was very relieved until the teacher continued to say that class was still being held and the mandatory attendance points would be given out as usual and as an added incentive to come to class, the notes from the day’s class would not be being posted online as was usual! How in the world was I able to “use my discretion”? Sure I could have missed class and gotten my attendance points revoked for trying to be smart. Luckily I went to school uninjured. However, my wife who is sadly a little less coordinated than I am did fall on the ice and needed to skip classes the next day while she tended her bruised ribs. I am so glad she was not hurt more, but extremely angry at NAU for telling us all that we have a choice while all the while administrators and faculty do everything in their power to mitigate our options.
Ashleigh VonWebster says
I for one am absolutely disgusted by this blatant disregard for the students’ safety. I live miles away from the nearest bus stop. NAU was advertised as a bike friendly college. Does 24 inches of snow seem bike friendly to you? My professors have already stated that snow is no excuse for absence. I suppose I could always transfer to ASU.
Braidin says
I am a current Freshman and I live off campus and the fact that the school will not be canceled even though Flagstaff mentioned to stay inside and to not go on the roads tomorrow is an issue. If my parents knew that my safety would be at risk trying to get to class so I’m not penalized, they would not be thrilled at all. Because one of my classes attendance is worth 20% and I can’t afford to lose any of that but my safety should be above the school making money. And taking into consideration that I’m a college student and all of my money goes towards NAU, it’s extremely hard to purchase snow tires or chains. If I lived on campus, it would be more tolerable but the fact that I live off campus puts my life in jeopardy to go to class. If the school gets two feet of snow, and they continue to function normally, they need to put that on the application for NAU so that both the students and parents know that when it snows there are no true snow days. My other problem is, at my old high school, it literally took a child to get run over by a car for them to obtain a school zone, and I’m wondering if this is going to end up the same situation? I’m quite sure tax payers would not like to see a child die trying to get an education. NAU keeps saying that their students safety are their top priority but fail to listen to the voices of the students who are scared for their safety. And NAU is right it’s our money so we should have a choice on whether the school closes or not! Please fix this.
Daja says
So if * slip and get hurt tomorrow because I’m obligated to go to class to take an exam and get attendance points, will NAU cover the medical bill?
Ryan Bandelier says
It’s interesting because on their website they state that “students and staff are encouraged to use their best judgement when deciding whether to attend work or class during inclement weather.” Although this may be true, if we decide not to attend class we are penalized because attendance is part of our grade and missing at least two classes can drop someone at least a whole letter grade. Next they state that “your safety is NAU’s primary concern.” This is also an issue because if we were your primary concern in that statement you would put that during snow days you won’t be penalized for not attending because you don’t feel safe to drive or walk. Professors won’t move exams because they haven’t received an email from Rita and because exams are far more important than anything else, you will drive or walk to class no matter what because if you miss an exam, you may be screwed for that entire semester. Also the fact that so many students have taken the time to comment on this post because they are worried about their safety, yet NAU fails to listen to them or come back with something to cover themselves up and that’s the God’s honest truth.
Geoff says
It would be nice to see some explanations from the decision-makers here?
In particular I would like to know why, given “student safety is our primary concern”, the announcement of closure for today was delayed until 10.50 last night? Was it really only apparent at that point, when the snow had actually begun to fall, that student safety was in jeopardy? Were the (fairly dire) warnings from the Dept of Transport and the National Weather Service (our “partner agencies”) seen as premature and inaccurate? Or were our decision-makers hoping for divine intervention in having the snow skirt Flagstaff?
A more timely (and objective) announcement could have led to better planning for cancelled classes and midterms and travel for students, faculty and staff alike, many of whom had commitments outside Flagstaff over the next few days – such a decision would have aided them to assess absence versus the possibility of required class attendance.