Winter Weather Safety Tips and Protocols

As you review this information, please also take a few minutes to ensure your personal contact information for ISU Alerts is up to date. This helps ensure you receive emergency alerts from the University.

Idaho State University strives to keep our spaces open for the furtherance of our educational mission. The University may delay and/or cancel classes to ensure the safety of students, faculty, staff, and campus community members or when closure is necessitated by other extenuating circumstances. Please recognize that while safety is always one of our highest priorities, ISU has to frequently balance many competing priorities when making decisions to either delay classes or close campus. Decisions to delay or cancel classes may be different from local school districts due to weather impacts/conditions on campus and organizational needs. Due to the public mission of the University, certain functions must always be operational and carried forth by faculty and staff; these positions are identified as being mission essential personnel. 

Our website is a great resource for winter safety tips, campus closure information, and frequently asked questions to help staff, faculty, and students better understand the recommendations and processes associated with inclement weather at ISU. 

There are many ways to be prepared for a winter storm, here are a few of our recommendations:

• Use technology to monitor winter threats. The local weather service is a great option to identify conditions before you travel, and use Idaho 511 to get alerts and look at the road reports. Going online or downloading the app allows you to view road conditions and identify alternative routes for travel.
• When traveling, ensure vehicles have plenty of fuel and other fluids. Give yourself extra time to travel. Winter storms can cause delays, so be sure to have a supply kit with water, non-perishable snacks, and blankets in case emergency conditions leave you stranded. 
• Keep your cell phone nearby and charged, making sure you have an emergency contact identified with ISU and/or in your phone.
• Use caution when walking around campus, and wear proper footwear. Remember, sidewalks and stairways may be slick. Vehicles take longer to stop on slick roads, so be aware of your surroundings, even when walking in designated crosswalks.
• When entering a parking lot, if a plow is working, park in an area that has already been cleared and give equipment space to work. 
• Staff and faculty who frequently work outdoors have a heightened danger of cold-related illness, injuries, and accidents. Limit your time outside and dress in layers. Keep feet, hands, and head well covered.

Employees should coordinate with their supervisors when weather delays arrival and be mindful to extend the same courtesy to students in our classrooms and student employees. The Public Safety Dispatch Center is open 24/7 and on all holidays to assist the Bengal community. You can email pubsafe@isu.edu, call (208) 282-2515, or download the Rave Guardian App to communicate with the Department of Public Safety.