Campus Operations

FR:  Freeman Hrabowski, Elliot Hirshman

As the region begins to recover from the unprecedented snow emergency, we want to thank the many staff, faculty, and students who have worked together to keep the campus community safe through the past days and nights.

Nearly 50  staff from Facilities Management and contractors have been on campus around the clock since the first snowfall this past weekend, many of them leaving their families and sleeping on campus.  Their priority has been clearing Hilltop Circle and paths from the residence halls to True Grits dining hall.  Residential Life staff and University Police have been on campus throughout this period to respond to emergencies and ensure students’ safety.  True Grits dining hall has operated on a normal schedule, thanks to Chartwell’s staff members , who have also remained on campus.  And residence halls R.A.s are working with students to organize impromptu activities in the halls. Staff members are very appreciative of the cooperation and patience resident students have shown during the emergency.

Despite the campus closure, many faculty members have been in regular contact with their students and have continued instruction by providing materials online.

In addition, Human Resources staff made it to campus to retrieve payroll data submissions and have worked from home successfully to complete the payroll file that was submitted today.

A tremendous amount of snow remains to be cleared from campus walkways and parking lots.  Facilities Management is doing everything possible to prepare the campus to reopen, and Environmental Safety and Health staff were able to arrange a major salt delivery today, notwithstanding major salt shortages. We are doing everything we can to have the campus ready for opening Friday morning. We will make a final decision based on campus conditions. In keeping with the campus’s inclement weather policy, the decision will be made before 6 a.m. Friday. We recognize that the road conditions throughout the region vary greatly, and students, staff, and faculty should be guided by their own best judgment about whether it is safe to travel to campus.

For updated information on the status of campus operations, check the UMBC homepage, myUMBC, or sign up for E2Campus text and e-mail alerts at https://my.umbc.edu/notifications.