What to do when it snows, and whether the university is open or closed

November is typically the beginning of winter in the Pacific Northwest, which means checking the tread on our winter boots and getting to know our local bus routes.

Because Western typically remains open when it snows. 

When stormy weather hits, Western’s administration makes a case-by-case evaluation about whether to remain open, delay opening or close campus for the day.

In the event of a delayed start or campus closure, we issue a Western Alert via text, email, social media and web update with details.  Nearly all students and most faculty and staff have signed up to receive Western Alerts. In addition, you can call the Storm Hotline at (360) 650-6500. On stormy days, the Storm Hotline will be updated by 6 a.m. daily.

On snowy days, Western’s facilities team arrives early (very early) to clear snow route pathways, parking lots and ADA spaces on campus. While this hard-working team may not be able to clear all of the pathways on campus before students, faculty and staff arrive, they do create a snow route grid of main walkways that allows access to all of the buildings on campus.

Most Western students live on or close to campus or near bus routes that tend to get extra snow-removal attention. But campus closure decisions do not hinge solely on attendance. Like a business that remains open to serve customers willing to brave the weather, Western often remains open to serve the students able to make it to class safely, including the 4,000 residence hall students who live on campus.

Western students are adults, and we count on our students to make informed, individual decisions about their ability to safely get to campus. The same holds true for Western faculty and staff.

Students who do not feel they can get to class or safely navigate snowy or icy pathways might decide to stay home and make arrangements with faculty to make up missed classwork. Western advises faculty members to balance student learning and accountability with concern for student safety. We trust our faculty to be fair in such circumstances and believe they strike this balance well, with student safety being the highest priority and top consideration.

Western’s Inclement Weather Policy applies to staff when the university is open but weather conditions impact their ability to get safely to work. Western’s Suspended Operations Policy applies to staff when the university is closed.

Any issues related to snow removal during working hours on campus should be called into the WWU Facilities Management Customer Service Desk at Extension 3420 or via email at: fixit@wwu.edu. The Service Desk will in turn ensure WWU Outdoor Maintenance is made aware of the need.  During non-working hours, calls should be made to University Police Dispatch at extension 3555 who may initiate a call out if necessary.

Facilities Management has purchased new equipment and/or new product add-ons to increase their mechanical capacity for snow removal capacity. They also have changed their deicing mixture to be more effective, and are stockpiling more in hopes of avoiding supply shortages experienced last year.

For more information on stormy weather – including frequently asked questions – visit: http://emergency.wwu.edu/inclement.html