Inclement Weather Notices

In the event of inclement weather, HU does not post routine delayed openings, early departures, or closures due to weather with local media outlets. 

 

Students, faculty, and staff should dial 717-901-5199 to access HU’s operating schedule commonly called “HU Snowline.” Should HU open late, close early, cancel activities, or close for the day due to inclement weather or for any other emergency, a message will be left on HU’s voicemail at that number. Additionally, HU will post any changes to its operating schedule on the main page of its website, www.harrisburgu.edu, and update social media outlets.

 

If HU remains open during or following a weather-related event or other emergency, it is up to each student and employee to make a reasonable decision about whether to travel. Safety and common sense should guide decisions. Students are expected to notify their faculty, and employees are expected to notify their supervisors if they are not reporting to class/work. HU will not make personal calls to students or employees. HU will follow all City of Harrisburg and/or Commonwealth mandated emergency procedures in the event of a weather-related emergency.

 

Additionally, HU will follow all City of Philadelphia mandated emergency procedures as updated on the Ready Philadelphia/ Office of Emergency Management website: ReadyPhiladelphia | Office of Emergency Management | City of Philadelphia .

 

Harrisburg University Unplanned Closure Statement 

When faced with the unplanned physical closure of Harrisburg University (326 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17101, and other physical locations) due to inclement weather or other circumstances, it is understood that teaching and learning will continue. Faculty will decide whether course work will be conducted in asynchronous or synchronous (or combined) format, with equal or greater ‘learning hours’ to that of the traditional session. Asynchronous format refers to course work that can be done by students independent of the instructor or other students. Synchronous format refers to sessions held in real time involving the students and instructor.

 

Asynchronous or Synchronous Virtual Format:

 

Asynchronous: Faculty will provide course content, activities, or assessments that are equal or greater in ‘learning hours’ to the amount of work that would have been expected during the traditional session.  Students will complete these activities during the day, independent from one another. Examples may include:

  • Forum activities featuring scenario-based exercises requiring learners to think through ill-structured problems while documenting their thought processes and potential solutions
  • Assignments or readings from course textbook and online submission or discussion
  • Revisit previous lab work and identify extensions of the activity or additional real-world applications for the completed lab
  • Identification of examples (and non-examples) of a course tenet (e.g. identifying examples and non-examples of quality user interface design)
  • Student development of assessment questions based on the course content taught to date – consider using the questions in actual exams

 

Synchronous: Faculty will provide a class session, during the scheduled session time, using the institution supported synchronous learning technology.  All courses are set up with the tools already, however faculty will need to do some additional configuration (please see the video tutorial link below). If faculty would like additional support, they are invited to visit https://ithelp.harrisburgu.edu 

 

How to Support Students Impacted by Weather

Students travelling from other parts of the country may be impacted by inclement weather although HU remains operational. If a student’s flight or train is cancelled or a student lives in an area of the country that is impacted by inclement weather, the student should contact isohelp@harrisburgu.edu as soon as possible with itinerary, and travel plans to document the weather’s impact. Students should also notify their faculty. Faculty should provide the students impacted by weather with either a Teams link to attend synchronously, a Teams recording of the lecture, or an alternate opportunity to make up missed course content.