Chancellor | NewsJanuary 30, 2023

Chancellor Message: Campus Closure for January 31

Dear colleagues and students,

 Kudos to Chief Ottman for his tireless participation in the National Weather Service-Tulsa daily briefings. Today, he learned that our area is predicted to get up to .75” of ice with continuing freezing rain until midnight today and starting again tomorrow at noon. Unfortunately, this amount of freezing rain and ice accumulation will lead to dangerous driving conditions tomorrow morning and evening.

Based on this information and out of an abundance of caution, I have come to the decision to close campus all day on January 31, 2023.

Full-time employees: The Office of Human Resources will credit you with 8 hours of inclement weather leave for 1/31. Only essential personnel who are required to be on campus should plan to report to work.

Classes: All classes normally taught in person AND online, including classes offered through WATC, will be cancelled.

Food services will still be offered in the Lion’s Den.

The 24-hour computer lab will still be open, but Boreham Library will be closed.

Any programs or activities on campus will be postponed or will move to Zoom, Teams, or another platform. Event planners will notify those who plan to attend about the ways those programs will pivot to remote delivery or new dates for the activities.

Employees with keys who still go to the campus despite the closure should notify UPD that they are in their offices in case of any emergencies. Please call the UPD non-emergency phone number at 479-788-7140. Of course, employees are strongly discouraged from coming to campus until weather conditions improve dramatically.

Tips:

*If you must drive, please check iDrive Arkansas before venturing out to determine road conditions on your route.

*Keep all phones charged in case of emergency. Do NOT attempt to charge your phone in your vehicle in an enclosed location.

*If you must drive, please notify a friend or relative of your departure and expected arrival times. Check in with them to let them know when you arrive safely.

*Keep warm blankets in your vehicle during cold, icy weather in case you get stuck and must wait for help.

Local utility companies have concerns about power outages due to tree limbs which are weighted down with heavy ice. Please add the contact info for your local energy company to your cell phone in case you need to call but do not have power or internet. If you lose power/heat and need to know local resources, please call 211, the local emergency resource number.

If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me, your direct supervisor or faculty member, or the Office of Human Resources. We are all here to assist you during this time of inclement weather.

Be safe and stay warm!

Terisa C. Riley, Ph.D.

Chancellor

• Tags:
• Inclement Weather