Inclement Weather Procedures for 2009-2010

Grand Rapids Community College rarely closes because of winter weather conditions. If and when the College does close, students and employees need not report. Employees will be paid for their regularly scheduled work hours.

Procedure to close the College

  1. Campus Police assesses road conditions and any additional information from city, county and state resources as needed.
  2. Campus Police contacts the Vice President for Business and Financial Services and a decision is made.
  3. If a decision to close is made, the VP for Business and Financial Services contacts the College President, and the appropriate contacts in Facilities and Communications.
  4. The Facilities and Communications Departments contact their staff as needed to direct facility and communication needs.

Note: Whenever bad weather seems imminent, the above listed areas will decide who the appointed contact people will be, in advance, to avoid confusion and duplication of efforts.

Communicating with employees

  • The decision to close GRCC or a part of GRCC will be made before 5 AM, and employees will be notified as quickly as possible through various communication methods.
  • If the College does not close in the morning, and weather conditions and circumstances worsen, a determination to close will be made by 1 PM .
  • Communications Office staff will notify the media as early as possible; however, they do not control what time the information will be broadcast.  The Communications Office will notify employees directly if the college closes during the day.
  • The message "College Closed" means all employees need not report to work, with the exception of designated personnel necessary to keep the College operational and secure.
  • If a particular campus is closed, all activities on that campus are cancelled. Please read the specifics below.

Messages

Kent County

The message "College Closed" means cancellation of all GRCC and Ferris State University classes and activities on the downtown main campus as well as at the Tassell M-TEC, the Regional Centers and the Learning Corners.

Kent County Regional Centers And Learning Corners

If the building where an off-campus GRCC class is being held is closed, then the class is cancelled.  (An example: If there is a GRCC class at Kentwood High School and Kentwood High School is closed for any reason, that class is cancelled. If the entire GRCC main campus is closed, all GRCC classes anywhere in Kent County are cancelled.)

Ottawa County

The GRCC Lakeshore Campus’ Thompson M-TEC and Midtown Center facilities are not tied to the Grand Rapids campus for inclement weather closings. In addition, evening college courses at the Holland Careerline Tech Center, West Ottawa High School and Grand Valley’s Meijer Campus are not tied to those organizations’ inclement weather closings. When watching or listening for weather information, remember that the GRCC Lakeshore Campus will be listed under Ottawa County, not under Kent County.

You will note that the closing announcement will read GRCC Lakeshore Campus-Specific Facility Name or GRCC Lakeshore Campus-All Facilities.

Closing information will be communicated via

  • An allstaff e-mail to your GRCC mailbox
  • Our website - www.grcc.edu (view the status of classes by location: www.grcc.edu/locationstatus)
  • Local media: In an effort to have one consistent media outlet where employees can be sure to find our message, GRCC will first notify WOOD-TV, Channel 8. Following that, we will contact the GRAIL system, which, in turn, notifies most other area broadcast media, but not necessarily all media.
  • The recorded phone message at the college main phone line - 234-GRCC
  • Text messages to mobile phones and e-mails to students who have signed up for the text messaging service through Blackboard. Click here to sign up or learn more.
  • Emergency Phone Alert Systems if classes are in session when a decision to close is made.

Evening and weekend closures follow the same process and communications, including the following additional steps:

  • The Campus Police, Deans and CEBA Building Managers will notify all classes and instructors on each particular campus that the College is closed.
  • Office personnel will post the notification of College closure in and around their offices.

Updated:  October 12, 2009

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