Dear UMPI Students and Colleagues,

With the greater number of courses employing distance education in some form, I write to provide additional clarity on UMPI’s policy regarding the closing of campus and its services due to inclement weather.  I write this in full recognition of the increased demands upon us all in regards to teaching, learning, and working remotely.

When the UMPI locations– Presque Isle and Houlton– are closed due to a weather-related event:

1. No in-person or live distance education courses will be held on that day.  Campus offices will be closed (explicitly identified essential personnel excepted).*
2. All staff or department meetings will be cancelled, regardless of modality.
3. In the case of delayed openings, any live (in-person or distance) class or event occurring prior to the time of opening is cancelled.
4. Students shall have the opportunity to submit all assignments/assessments due on the day of cancellation, regardless of modality, at a later date, as determined by the instructor, without penalty.
5. If you are required to participate in any weekly COVID-19 testing on a cancelled day, individuals may “make up” the test at any other testing time during the week.  If additional arrangements need to be made in this regard, please contact the Director of Safety and Security (frederick.thomas@maine.edu).
6. Only asynchronous online classes (ones that have no live instructional components whatsoever) and YourPace classes would not be impacted in terms of instruction on weather cancellation days.  However, any work due by students on these days specifically should also be reassigned to a later date as determined appropriate by the instructor.

Please be sure that your emergency contact information for receiving such information is appropriately updated.  This should include both email and cell phone (text) addresses.  You may update this information from your UMPI Campus Portal (look for the red triangle Emergency Notification icon on your LaunchPad) or go directly here.

You may always check the UMPI website for cancellation information.

The safety of the University’s students, faculty, and staff is UMPI’s first priority in making decisions about canceling classes and services.  At no time, however, are students, faculty or staff required to put their personal safety at risk in commuting to and from the campuses.  In all circumstances, including inclement winter weather, students, faculty and staff are encouraged to exercise their individual responsibility and judgment regarding their personal safety in terms of travel regardless of whether classes or services are held.  As a substantial percent of our student body commutes to our campus locations, which can often be impacted in different ways by the same weather event, and that travel time (in good conditions) can often be an hour or more, we ask students who have difficulty getting to campus in inclement weather to communicate their situation to faculty.  Similarly, we ask faculty to be understanding of such safety concerns and make appropriate accommodations for individuals impacted in this manner.

Ray