Campus Forum
Nov. 7, 2003 Edition

With winter coming, curtailed operations is a possibility

As we approach the winter season, I want to remind each of you of the university’s policies and procedures for declaring curtailed operations. Although we hope for a mild winter, we must be prepared for extreme weather situations.

Declaring Curtailed Operations
The decision to curtail operations is made because the local road conditions are considered to be dangerous, the campus is unprepared for parking and pedestrian traffic, and/or there are utility and power outages that impact our working environment. Decisions to curtail typically relate to the basic teaching, research, public service and administrative responsibilities of our campus – decisions to curtail athletic and other special events are made and announced separately.
Once we curtail operations, we have three methods of communicating this information to our faculty, staff, commuter and residential students – by selected radio stations and television channels, UNH Home Page, and by the UNH Storm Information Line (specific details follow).

Process
When the decision has been made to curtail operations, announcements will be made immediately and will include information about affected work shifts and classes (morning, afternoon and/or evening), the Wildcat Transit bus routes, and Winter Parking Ban, if applicable. Our goal is to make these announcements by 6 a.m. whenever possible. If we curtail during our normal business hours (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), university departments will be alerted via e-mail, and an interdepartmental telephone tree initiated by my office.

Please do not tie up telephone lines by calling administrative offices or the university operators to inquire whether a closing announcement is going to be made. Instead, either wait for your department to be notified, check the Storm Information Line periodically, or listen to one of the designated radio stations or TV channels.

It is important to note that if we curtail operations, Dining Services shifts from their normal schedule to offering brunch from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner from 4:15 to 6:30 p.m.

Essential Personnel
A declaration of curtailed operations means that only personnel who perform essential support services are required to report to work or to remain at work. Because UNH is a residential campus, regardless of the weather conditions we must continue to provide services to our student population and ensure that our physical plant is properly maintained. If you are unsure whether your position is considered essential in a weather emergency, please check with your supervisor. Employees designated by their supervisors as essential personnel will receive compensatory time for hours worked during curtailed operations. If you are not considered essential, please do not travel to campus.

Use Common Sense
If we do not declare curtailed operations, all offices are open and all classes are held as scheduled. We must naturally make our determination based on the condition of the campus and the major roads and highways entering Durham. If staff feel that traveling conditions near their home are unsafe, they may choose to take vacation or earned time rather than drive in those conditions. If faculty find it impossible to come to campus, they should make a special effort to contact their students, especially commuter students, so that no one travels to UNH unnecessarily.

Winter Parking Ban
The Winter Parking Ban runs from the first forecasted snowstorm in November or Dec. 1, whichever is earlier, to March 31, and is in effect nightly regardless of weather. During this time parking is prohibited at any time between the hours of midnight and 6 a.m. in all but “Weather-Conditional” or “Exempt” lots.

Weather Conditional Lots
These lots are open and available after midnight on nights when no declared snow emergency is in effect. These lots resume their normal permit requirements at 6:30 the following weekday morning. It is the responsibility of the motorist to ascertain the status of the Weather-Conditional lots (status is posted on signs at entrances to these lots and on a recorded message at 2-1001). The Weather Conditional lots are: C-Lot, B-Lot and K-Lot (this lot will close at the start of the Kingsbury renovation project scheduled for this winter, and will no longer be a WPF weather-conditional parking option for the duration of the project.)

Exempt Lots
These lots remain open and available for after-midnight parking, regardless of weather conditions. The Exempt Lots are all resident lots, with appropriate permit; A-lot Section 4 (rear, nearest to Gables); Visitor Lot; and specially reserved spaces (Hall Director, Dean, H/C, etc. with appropriate permit).

Radio, TV and Storm Info Line
UNH will post details on curtailed operations as follows:

UNH Storm Information Line: 862-0000

Radio Stations
Portsmouth: WERZ-FM (107.1 FM),WHEB-FM (100.3 FM), WMYF-AM (1380 AM), WUBB-FM (95.3 FM), WGIN-AM (930 AM), WQSO-FM (96.7 FM), and WGIP-AM (1540 AM).
Portland: WHOM-FM (94.9 FM), WBLM-FM (102.9 FM), WCYY-FM (94.3 FM), WCLZ-FM (98.9 FM), and WJBQ-FM (97.9 FM).
Concord: WJYY-FM (105.5 FM), WNHI-FM (93.3 FM), WKXL-AM (1450 AM), WTPL-FM (107.7 FM), and WOTX-FM (102.3 FM).
Gilford: WLNH-FM (98.3 FM), WBHG-FM (101.5 FM), and WEMJ-AM (1490 AM).
Dover: WOKQ-FM (97.5 FM), and WSHK-FM (105.3 & 102.1 FM), WTSN-AM (1270 AM), WBYY-FM (98.7 FM), and WWNH-AM (1340 AM).
Durham: WUNH-FM (91.3 FM)
Manchester: WZID-FM (95.7 FM), WFEA-AM (1370 AM), and WQLL-FM (96.5 FM)

Television channels
Boston: WBZ-TV Channel 4
Portland: WCSH-TV Channel 6
Manchester: WMUR-TV Channel 9

Candace R. Corvey, vice president for finance and administration