Policy Search
Health and Safety
| EWU Policy 601-02 | Authority: EWU Board of Trustees |
| Effective: October 25, 2024 | Proponent: President’s Office |
Purpose: This policy is designed to inform employees about the procedures EWU will follow when it partially or fully closes university operations in the event of emergency situations such as severe weather, public health, electrical failures, etc.
History: This policy revises and supersedes the previous version dated May 21, 2021, titled “Suspended Operations.” Revisions were approved by the EWU Board of Trustees on October 25, 2024, and are effective as of that date.
Applicability: This policy applies to all members of the university community, including employees, students, and guests.
Chapter 1 – General
1-1. Closure Options
Depending on the type of emergency, EWU may choose to close a particular facility, cancel classes, move most activities into a remote environment, and/or completely suspend operations except for essential services. Options may include, but are not limited to:
a. Closure of a particular facility or part of a facility. If an emergency is isolated to a particular facility, EWU may close that facility. To the extent possible, all activities that would normally take place in that facility should be moved to another EWU facility. For example, classes should be moved to an alternative location and supervisors should contact their respective dean or associate vice president to identify alternate work locations and technology for employees to resume work. Faculty members are required to notify students if a class is moved to an alternate location. The President, Provost, Vice President for Business and Finance, Chief of Police, Director of Emergency Management, or their designees may close a facility.
b. Cancellation of classes university-wide. In some situations, such as following a national or campus tragedy, the President or Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs may choose to cancel all classes. In these situations, all classes are cancelled, but university operations will remain in effect. Faculty and staff will continue their regular duties, except for teaching scheduled classes in accordance with regular operations.
c. Transition to remote operations. The President, Provost, or their designees, may choose to move classes to remote instruction for the duration of an emergency. In this situation, all instruction must transition to a remote format and faculty must provide allowances for those students unable to participate due to the emergent circumstances.
All other university operations will also transition to remote work unless the job cannot be performed remotely. If an employee is unable to physically come to campus or cannot work remotely due to technology limitations or job responsibilities, they should work with their supervisor to discuss alternate schedules, duties, or leave options.
d. Full closure of university operations except for essential services. In situations where it is infeasible to transition to remote operations, such as widespread electrical outages, the President or designee may suspend all university operations, except for essential services. In this situation, all classes are canceled for the duration of the closure, including distance education courses, and only essential personnel should report to work as detailed below in chapter 2.
1-2. Notification
When the decision to close a facility, cancel classes, transition to remote environments, or suspend operations has been made, the president or designee will immediately notify the media coordinator and the Associate Vice President for Campus Safety & Chief of Police or designee.
The university will issue an ‘EWU Alert’ via the EagleSafe app and place information about closures on the main website. All EWU employees, students, and community members are encouraged to sign up for the EagleSafe app. All university devices are automatically enrolled in the EagleSafe app.
Supervisors are responsible for contacting their employees, whenever possible, to confirm they received the notice and understand their responsibilities. Employees are responsible for making sure their supervisors have their updated contact information.
Updates about facility closures will be provided through EWU Alerts via the EagleSafe app and/or the university homepage.
a. Local media: Facility closures may also be reported by local media. However, local media reports are unofficial and should not be relied on for information pertaining to employees and/or students reporting for work or class.
b. Notification received after arrival: Employees are responsible for regularly checking for facility closures when emergency circumstances exist. If the notification of closure is sent after an employee arrives at their work location, the employee shall receive a minimum of four hours pay for the first day that the condition exists.
1-3. Remote Facilities and Off-Site Locations
Riverpoint: EWU operations at Riverpoint will first follow Washington State University (WSU) Spokane guidance. If WSU Spokane closes or suspends operations, EWU at Riverpoint will also be closed. Additionally, if EWU suspends operations on the Cheney campus, EWU at Riverpoint will be closed, even if WSU Spokane remains open.
Catalyst & SIERR Buildings: EWU operations at the Catalyst & SIERR buildings will be suspended whenever operations are suspended on the Cheney campus.
Other EWU Locations: For EWU classes held at other locations, if the host institution closes its facilities for emergency reasons, EWU classes at the institution will be canceled.
Chapter 2 – Essential Services & Personnel During a Full Closure
2-1. Essential Services
a. In the event of a full closure, the President or designee will determine the essential services required during the time when university operations are fully closed.
b. Supervisors will determine how many and which specific employees are needed to provide essential services.
c. Supervisors will notify the personnel needed to support authorized essential services.
d. Employees will not come to work during suspended operations unless they are requested to do so by their supervisor in order to provide essential services.
2-2. Premium Pay Allowance
During a full closure, essential personnel will receive premium pay at straight time. Premium pay should be documented in timesheets for essential personnel.
If the condition necessitating a full closure cannot be resolved within fifteen calendar days or less, the university will institute layoff actions or have requested approval for an extension in accordance with the provisions of applicable collective bargaining agreements and university policies. The exclusive bargaining representative(s) will be notified in advance of such layoffs.
Chapter 3 – Work Time Lost
3-1. Making up Lost Hours
To compensate for time lost due to a full closure or if an employee is unable to work remotely when operations are transitioned to a remote environment, employees may:
a. Use accrued compensatory time (where applicable);
b. Use annual leave, personal holiday, and/or leave without pay; and/or,
c. Make up the work time lost, subject to the following conditions:
-
- employees must submit a written request, for approval by their supervisor, to make up lost time;
- work time lost must be made up during the ninety day period immediately following the closure (if operations are fully closed for a long period of time and it is not feasible to make up the time lost within 90 days, the Executive Leadership Team may extend the time period);
- the amount of compensation earned should not exceed the amount of salary lost; and,
- employees making up time must work in accordance with their respective compensation plan.
