From the Interim Vice President for Management and Operations
Posted: Thursday, November 2, 2023Winter Weather Attendance Reminders
Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff members are encouraged to review the university's emergency closings policy (PDF, 125 KB) and sign up for the Buff State Alert system to receive emergency notifications. If you have already signed up for Buff State Alert, please take a few moments to verify or update your contact information.
Because the weather in Western New York can vary greatly within just a few miles, there are times each winter when conditions on campus are favorable for classes to be held as scheduled, but some students, faculty, and staff members may experience difficulty traveling to campus. In those situations, students must communicate with their instructors, faculty with their students, and staff with their supervisors if they cannot travel to campus safely.
Students will not be penalized if they cannot attend face-to-face or hybrid classes in person because of severe weather, but are responsible for making up any assignments, quizzes, or exams promptly, in consultation with faculty members. Students are responsible for the prompt completion of any alternative assignments. If an absence situation between a student and instructor cannot be resolved, an appeal should proceed sequentially to the department chair, dean, and finally the provost.
Faculty members who are unable to travel to campus are responsible for making alternative arrangements for their students. If a faculty member must cancel class(es), affected students should be notified via Brightspace or direct email as soon as possible.
During inclement weather, essential-critical employees are expected to report to campus at scheduled times. Non-essential and essential-remote employees who may be able to conduct work from an alternative location must consult with their supervisors in advance on all such decisions. Non-essential and essential-remote employees who do not report to work must communicate the absence to their supervisor and charge the absence to appropriate leave accruals, even when the university cancels classes and activities.
