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By Matthew Winston
mwinston@uga.edu
Now that fall semester classes are well under way, university officials are taking steps to ensure that all members of the community are aware of UGA’s policies and procedures regarding weather-related closings and changes in operating hours.
When severe weather threatens, faculty, staff and students can learn of changes in UGA’s hours of operation from a variety of sources. Up-to-date information will be posted on the UGA home page (www.uga.edu) and more detailed information can be found on the UGA Today Web site (www.uga.edu/news). In addition the university’s cable system will serve as a source of information about UGA’s status. Athens-area cable subscribers can tune to channel 15 for further information, as well.
These Athens radio stations will also broadcast up-to-date UGA information: 880 am, WBKZ; 960 am, WRFC; 1340 am, WGAU; 88.9 fm, WMSL; 90.5 fm, WUOG; 91.7 and 97.9 fm, WUGA; 102.1 fm, WGMG; 103.7 fm, WPUP; and 106.1 fm, WNGC.
“The university rarely closes,” says Tom Jackson, executive director of University Communications. “If we do so, it is for public safety reasons--primarily if the roads are too icy for traffic to move safely.”
Due to the large number of competing announcements on radio and television stations during weather-related emergencies, the university limits its announcements to one of the following:
• UGA is open and operating on a regular schedule,
• UGA is closed, or
• UGA will delay opening until a specific time.
If a closing decision is made before regular business hours, every effort is made to inform Athens radio stations by 6:30 a.m. If the decision is made during the day, the offices of all university vice presidents and deans are notified in addition to the broadcast stations.
“We use Athens radio stations primarily, because they can give priority to UGA announcements where Atlanta stations cannot,” Jackson says. “But we also notify Atlanta
radio and television stations which have requested UGA closing announcements.”
Openings and closings apply to everyone--faculty, staff and students--except employees previously designated by their supervisor to report in case of inclement weather, such as in public safety, physical plant, housing and food services.
“At times, instead of using our specific announcement, a radio or TV station will ad lib that ‘UGA has cancelled classes.’ Then, staff want to know if they have to go to work,” Jackson says. “Please be aware that we don’t cancel classes without closing the university; when it comes to severe weather, UGA is open or UGA is closed--for everybody.”
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