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Policy Contact: Emergency Management

1. Purpose

   This policy implements SDBOR Policy 4.1.11 and sets forth the guidelines for canceling classes or closing the University due to emergencies, including inclement weather.

2. Definitions
    
   1. Emergency: any natural, nuclear, man-made or war-related disaster; any health related catastrophe; or any phenomenon which disrupts SDBOR or University facilities or operations as set forth in the University Emergency Management Plan.
       
   2. Essential Personnel: employees designated by the University Continuity of Operations Plans pursuant to the University Emergency Management Plan as approved by the University President, or designee, as being needed for work during a particular emergency so essential functions can be performed.
       
   3. Non-Essential Personnel: employees designated by the University Continuity of Operations Plans pursuant to the University Emergency Management Plan as not being necessary for work during a particular emergency, or employees so designated so by the University President, or designee, in a time of emergency.
       
   4. Non-Instructional Staff: administrative staff members, CSA staff members who are not assigned to classroom or instructional laboratory support activities, and faculty members whose primary responsibilities are for research or service.
       
3. Policy
    
   1. The University remains open in all but the most extreme circumstances. Unless an emergency closing is announced, all employees including faculty are expected to report to work. During inclement weather, all employees are urged to use their own discretion in deciding whether they can safely commute to work.
       
   2. University emergency closings pursuant to the University Emergency Management Plan are subject to the requirements of this policy, and the University Emergency Management Plan procedures will be followed, as applicable.
       
   3. Closing the Campus
      1. The decision to close the University campus for an emergency, including inclement weather, will be made by the University President or, in their absence, the presiding University officer, in consultation with the Chair of the Emergency Management Team, successor, or designee.
         1. At off-campus centers the decision to close the center will be made by the on-site director, if applicable, in consultation with the Chair of the Emergency Management Team, or designee, who will inform the University President of the decision to close.
            1. At Extension centers the decision to close the center will be made by the Director of Extension, or designee, in consultation with the Chair of Emergency Management Team, or designee, who will inform the University President of the decision to close.
         2. A decision to close the University campus should be coordinated with all other campuses that have employees or students in the same geographic area. At a minimum, notification to close the campus should be communicated to all partner institutions at centers or to other SDBOR institutions within a 100 mile radius.
         3. Emergency closings should be continuously re-evaluated during the day so regular business can resume as soon as possible. The media and local radio stations should be used to communicate the decision to reopen.
      2. Campus closings may occur for reasons articulated in SDBOR Policy 4.1.11, including emergencies where law enforcement prohibits travel; the facility is damaged or destroyed due to an emergency; an emergency has made an office or function non-essential; law enforcement, Emergency Management Team, or the Department of Public Safety deems the campus a danger and orders evacuation; or inclement weather jeopardizes individual safety and it is determined too dangerous to allow commuting to campus.
          
   4. Class Cancellation
      1. Classes may be canceled for emergencies, yet the University campus may remain open. When the decision has been made to cancel classes, all non-instructional staff are expected to report to work, but employees are urged to use their discretion in deciding whether they can safely commute to work.
      2. The decision to cancel classes due to an emergency, including inclement weather, will be made by the University President or, in their absence, the presiding officer, in consultation with the University Provost and the Emergency Management Team Chair, their successors, or designees.
         1. At off-campus centers, the decision to cancel classes will be made by the on-site director or presiding University officer, in consultation with the University Provost and Chair of Emergency Management Team, or designees. The Chair of Emergency Management Team will notify the University President of the decision to cancel classes.
         2. A decision to cancel classes should be coordinated with other campuses that have employees or students in the same geographic area. At a minimum, notification to cancel classes should be communicated by Human Resources at the direction of a representative of Emergency Management Team to all partner institutions at centers or to other SDBOR institutions within a 100 mile radius.
         3. Emergency class cancellations should be continuously re-evaluated during the day so regular business can resume as soon as possible. The media and local radio stations should again be used to communicate the decision to reopen.
             
   5. Communication of Campus Closing or Class Cancellations
      1. The University President, or designee, shall ensure that the SDBOR Executive Director or presiding officer is notified of the intent to close a campus or cancel classes and the time and duration of the event.
      2. The Emergency Management Specialist, or successor, is responsible for notifying the South Dakota Office of Emergency Management of campus closure or canceled classes due to an emergency, including inclement weather.
      3. The University will use its campus alert system to notify employees of a closing or class cancellation. A phone call, as well as an email, should be used to notify parties of the closing or class cancellations who are outside of the University and required by this policy to receive notification.
      4. The Director of Marketing and Communications, successor, or designee, or the on-site director in the case of off-campus centers, is responsible for announcing to local radio stations and/or other media when the campus or center is closed or class cancellations. Such announcements shall reference specifically the start time and date of the closing or class cancellations and the duration.
          
   6. Employee Compensation
      1. When an emergency closing, including due to inclement weather, has not been declared, employees who do not report to work or wish to leave early have the option of taking annual leave, accrued compensatory time, leave without pay, or adjusting the work week. Supervisory approval is required for any of the options. Employees who feel they cannot safely reach the worksite shall take appropriate action to notify their supervisor that they will be absent from work.
      2. In the event the offices at the University campus are closed due to an emergency, including inclement weather, the following provisions apply:
         1. Non-essential, leave-accruing personnel will be granted paid administrative leave. Non-leave accruing temporary employees and students do not qualify for administrative leave.
         2. Essential personnel must report to work at prearranged worksites, unless otherwise instructed. Those overtime eligible employees that are required to work will receive payment for the administrative leave hours (at a straight rate) plus the hours they were required to work.
            1. If an overtime exempt employee is designated as essential and reports to work, they will not get “extra” hours and should not enter administrative leave.
            2. If an employee is considered essential and does not report to work as required, appropriate leave and/or DOC pay should be used for that absence.
         3. Administrative leave may be granted when a worksite is closed where access is not controlled by the University. However, if employees have access to the department, building, and/or facilities then no administrative leave will be approved. The senior administrator at that worksite must notify the University President and the HR Department of such closings.
         4. If an employee has a remote work agreement and their primary work location is not disrupted by the event, they will not receive administrative leave since their work location is still available. If an employee has an approved remote work assignment to work from home and the campus is closed, they would not be eligible for administrative leave since the campus is not their designated worksite and they can work at their remote worksite.
         5. For employees working overnight shifts, if the University is closed on the date in which an employee’s shift starts, the employee will record administrative leave for the entire regularly scheduled shift.
         6. When the University is closed while an employee is already working their scheduled shift on site, administrative leave will be prorated for the remainder of the shift and follow the essential employee rules as applicable. If the employee is not deemed essential, they must leave the work location upon the announcement of the administrative closure.
         7. If paid administrative leave is not approved and an employee is unable to reach work or wants to leave the office early due to an emergency, the employee may do so with the approval of the supervisor. Hourly employees must use annual leave, leave without pay, or adjust work hours during the remainder of the work week with the approval of the supervisor.
         8. Administrative leave is prorated based upon % time and must be recorded in accordance with the employee’s regularly scheduled hours. Employees will not receive administrative leave pay in excess of the scheduled shift or more than 40 hours per week.
         9. If an employee has requested leave in advance of the notification of an emergency administrative leave, the employee will not be allowed to modify or delete their leave request unless they work as an essential employee or the emergency event prevented them from attending or participating in their planned leave activity.
         10. Administrative leave will be granted only for the number of hours the University campus was administratively closed, not to exceed the number of hours for which the employee was scheduled to work.
         11. If a part-time employee qualifies for leave, but their schedule varies from month to month, administrative leave is computed based on an average of the prior three months’ hours worked to determine how many hours of administrative leave should be applied.
         12. Leave accruing employees with hire dates on the date of office administrative closings will be paid administrative leave.
         13. Salaried employees who were absent for any period must record the number of hours of paid administrative leave.
         14. Overtime eligible employees may not voluntarily choose to work remotely during a University closure.

4. Responsible Administrator

   The Vice President and General Counsel, successor, or designee, is responsible for annual and ad hoc review of this policy. The University President is responsible for approval of this policy.

Approved by President on 04/26/2016; Revised, Approved by the President on 09/17/2021. Revised; Approved by President on 05/23/2023. Revised 02/01/2024 (clerical).

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