Closing procedures

Buchtel Hall on a winter morning.

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The safety of students, faculty and staff is the University's highest priority. When severe weather is predicted or when emergencies arise, the president or his or her designee will determine when conditions necessitate closing or canceling classes at the entire University or any of its specific campuses.

In the event of significant snowfall, the president or his or her designee will make a decision to close based on recommendations from:

• University police, safety and facilities personnel, who will be checking the condition of campus sidewalks and parking lots;
• city and county law-enforcement agencies, who will report on road conditions on highways and roads in areas surrounding the University;
• the Ohio State Patrol and the County Sheriff, who may issue advisories related to the weather; and
• additional sources as needed.

Related: Why it is unusual for UA to close because of cold weather alone

The decision to close will be made as early as possible. News of closing will be disseminated several ways:

• Radio and TV: Closing information will be provided to major radio and television stations in Akron, Canton and Cleveland. A list of the stations is below.
• On the Web: Closing information will be posted on the University's home page.
• E-mail: A message will be sent to students' and employees' University mailboxes.
• Text messaging: Alerts will be sent via the University's Z-Alert text messaging service. Learn more and subscribe. We also will use Z-Alert on Twitter.
• By phone: The University's emergency information phone line is updated around the clock as conditions warrant. The number is 330-972-SNOW (7669) or 330-972-6238 (TDD/Voice).

University colleges/departments are encouraged to establish a method for communicating the closing decision to department personnel.

List of stations that carry UA closing information