Please join us in welcoming the following new hires:
Full-time:
11/30/15 Daniel Peters – IT Support Specialist, ITech
Weather reminder
As the winter months approach, it is good to reacquaint yourself with the University’s policies for dealing with inclement weather. University guideline HRG-10 “Handling ‘Weather Day’ Absences” and Libraries guideline UL-HRG-09 “Weather/Emergency” provide guidance for days when bad weather threatens. Please read and be familiar with them. The University has several official channels of communication for information about campus closures. They include:
• PSUAlert (news alerts sent to cell phones as SMS messages). Employees must register to receive the message (http://psualert.psu.edu/) Libraries’ employees at all locations are strongly urged to register for this service.
• WPSU Radio (91.5 in central Pennsylvania, other frequencies throughout the state)
• WPSU website (wpsu.org)
• Penn State News
Employees at campuses other than University Park should check for the preferred communication channels at their campus.
It is our responsibility as employees to monitor appropriate communication channels when bad weather conditions are threatening and look for closure or delayed opening information.
Only the President, Chief Executive Officer, or Campus Dean has the authority to declare a closure, delayed opening, or early dismissal. At the same time, we encourage all employees to use sound judgement and decide for themselves if travel conditions are safe. In the absence of an official closing, if you do not come to work because of unsafe conditions, you will need to use vacation or personal holiday time to receive pay for work time missed.
When an official closing is declared, University policy describes how employees in “essential services” are handled. The Libraries are not considered essential services under this policy. In the event of a closure, Library employees are not required to work. In rare instances the Libraries may decide to remain open during an official closure. Supervisors have defined minimum staffing requirements to continue operations, and will work with employees to identify who is willing and able to safely stay at/come to work under these circumstances.
If for any reason you miss a closure announcement, and come to work and find the Libraries closed, you should return home if it is safe to do so. Staying on campus presents a number of safety concerns. In addition, OPP crews are working hard to clear roads, sidewalks and parking lots. Your presence may create an obstacle to them doing their jobs effectively. If you find that it is unsafe to return home, and want to stay and work, it is important to know that you must get your supervisor’s approval to do so. If they are not in the building it is appropriate to contact them at home.
Departments are encouraged to talk about the potential impact of closures, delayed openings, and early dismissals in advance, especially when bad weather is in the forecast.