Morning Classes Canceled on Monday, Feb. 25; Only Essential Personnel to Report to Campus in the Morning

After reviewing the most up-to-date reports from the National Weather Service, which has issued a High Wind Advisory, Syracuse University has decided to cancel morning classes on Monday, Feb. 25. Classes will resume at 12:45 p.m. Online classes are not affected and will go on as scheduled. Additionally, only essential personnel are expected to report to campus in the morning. This includes staff who work in campus safety, food services, facilities services, residence halls and student-facing services categorized as essential. Please consult your supervisor if you’re uncertain if your position is considered essential. All other staff and faculty should report at noon.

This decision follows the National Weather Service issuing a high wind warning through 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 25. Meteorologists are forecasting sustained winds of 30 to 45 miles per hour with gusts of 60 to 70 miles per hour. Peak winds will be Sunday (Feb. 24) night into early Monday (Feb. 25) afternoon.

Recommended Precautions

Damage to trees, power lines and property, as well as widespread power outages are expected. With this in mind, members of the University community should take the following precautions:

• stay indoors if possible;
• avoid unnecessary travel;
• be mindful of potential damage to trees and power lines, as well as flying debris;
• steer clear of downed power lines; and
• avoid campus construction sites.

Students living in on-campus housing, please take these additional precautions:

• stay away from your windows and close your blinds/shades/curtains;
• stay indoors, unless advised otherwise; and
• contact your residence hall staff in the event of an emergency.

Impact on Technology

The anticipated weather could also potentially impact your ability to use your devices, including cell phones, laptops and tablets. Be sure to fully charge all your devices and keep them plugged in while power is available to ensure maximum use in the event of a prolonged power outage.

Transportation Changes

Please be advised that there are some changes to the Birnie Bus schedules this evening. The #31 Nob Hill and the #39 Warehouse Express shuttles will not be operating. All other campus shuttles will be running, including the Centro #240 Nob Hill shuttle which will cover the area that the Birnie #31 Nob Hill usually services.

For shuttle services provided by the Department of Public Safety, please refer to the safety escort program. If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Public Safety at 315.443.SAFE (7233).

As of right now, all Centro buses are running as normal. For the latest updates, please refer to the Centro Trip Planner and Transit Tools.

Services Available

Though morning classes are canceled, many essential student services will still be available, including the following:

• All residence hall dining centers will remain open.
• Health Services and the Counseling Center will be open with essential personnel in place at each.
• The Women’s Building and Ernie Davis fitness facilities will remain open; other locations will be closed.
• All libraries are open as scheduled.

Further Updates

Power outages could impact schedules for the aforementioned services. Updates will be provided should any schedule changes be necessary:

• via campus email;
• on the University’s campus Twitter account @SUCampus;
• on the University’s campus Facebook page @SU Campus;
• on the web at news.syr.edu and syracuse.edu; and
• via the Syracuse University radio station WAER-FM/88.3 as well as other local media outlets.

To learn more about winter weather preparedness, visit the Department of Public Safety’s website or SU Health Services’ Winter Health page.