Updates on Inclement Weather and Continuity of Learning

Faculty and instructors,

I want to start by expressing my deepest gratitude to all of you for the flexibility and understanding you have demonstrated this week. We began with a major winter storm followed by a campus steam outage, resulting in the need to cancel classes for the first week of the semester. I recognize this has been a challenging situation and appreciate all you have done to engage with your students to the extent possible under the current circumstances.

I’m writing to keep you informed and provide you with the information available at this time. As a reminder, all previous guidance and communications sent to faculty, instructors and the campus community can be found at umd.edu/weather.

Campus Facilities and Infrastructure
Since last weekend’s storm, our incredible Facilities Management team has been working around the clock to prepare our campus for normal operations and make it accessible to our students, faculty and staff. While we were hopeful that the campus would be prepared to open for the latter portion of this week, the extreme cold temperatures led to a steam outage, which caused intermittent disruptions to the campus’s heating and hot water systems. Without reliable heat in our buildings, we made the decision to keep the campus closed for the remainder of this week. As very cold temperatures will continue tomorrow and through the weekend, we have been advised that we may experience intermittent outages. We anticipate more stable and reliable conditions once temperatures return to normal next week as predicted.

Please read the latest update from Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer Bob Reuning on our facilities response, safety reminders and work in progress to improve our future infrastructure.

Resident Student Precautions 
We currently have thousands of resident students who have been impacted by these intermittent outages. Due to the evolving and uncertain conditions, yesterday, our Director of Resident Life encouraged resident students to consider returning home or relocating temporarily if a nearby alternative is available. Above all else, our residents and staff who support them should be warm and feel safe. Resident Life and Residential Facilities staff are working diligently to provide students who remain on campus with comfort measures and warming centers. However, as you can imagine, this has caused disruptions for many students, and we appreciate you continuing to be flexible and understanding.

Preparations for Classes Next Week
I am hopeful that we will be able to resume in-person classes and operations on Monday, but we are planning for all scenarios. Should we continue to experience disruptions that are beyond our control, all faculty and instructors should be well versed and prepared to engage in virtual learning if necessary. Please continue to utilize the Teaching and Learning Transformation Center’s website on emergency closures and continuity of learning.

If the closure is extended, faculty may engage in synchronous or asynchronous virtual instruction, but all synchronous activities should be recorded and posted, or otherwise have an asynchronous option. As indicated in the closure notice that was sent yesterday, faculty and instructors are permitted to come to campus this week to prepare labs and materials for instruction next week, if needed.

I understand the challenges this poses to your work and our academic mission, especially as circumstances continue to change and evolve. As we have done throughout the week, we will continue to make closure calls as early as possible to give our faculty and instructors time to adapt. We appreciate all that you are doing to support our students as we begin the semester.

Please continue to keep the following in mind:

• Communication: Instructors are responsible for communicating directly with their students about asynchronous virtual instruction, assignments and expectations. We have clearly communicated to students that they should regularly check ELMS-Canvas and their university email for updates related to academic coursework.
• Access: Instructors should ensure students have access to the necessary materials and resources to continue studies remotely.
• Flexibility: Please be mindful and flexible regarding students' ability to meet expectations and deadlines, as some may face unexpected challenges such as limited access to Wi-Fi, electricity, or other necessary resources during inclement weather. 

Should you have specific questions, please reach out to your Department Chair or Dean for additional guidance.

Implications for Academic Deadlines and Calendar
I recognize that there are many questions about the impact of this week’s closure on the semester calendar. We are working on those adjustments. Please stay tuned for forthcoming guidance and updates on the following topics related to deadlines and scheduling: 

• Schedule Adjustment Extension: The add/drop period and related deadlines will be extended. Please be aware that students may be joining courses later than usual and consider how such students can catch up.
• Student Feedback: Regardless of deadline shifts, it is vital that instructors provide timely feedback throughout the semester so students and their academic advisors can make informed decisions before the "W" (withdrawal) deadline.
• Academic Calendar: While policy deadlines are shifting, scheduled breaks and Commencement dates remain unchanged.

Research Support
Recognizing the need for research and proposal support, I have reached out to the Office of Research Administration and have been informed that ORA staff are available to work on proposals that have imminent deadlines. ORA is not fully staffed to respond to all proposal requests during a campus closure, so please prioritize those that are most urgent until we resume normal operations.

Moving Forward Together
The weather-related impacts that we are experiencing this week have presented serious challenges as we begin the new semester, but I am so proud of how our community has come together to support and provide care for one another. Thank you for all you do to provide our students with an exceptional learning environment, even under stressful and unexpected circumstances.

Sincerely,