For students at the University of Connecticut, flakes flying in the cold winter air inspires a distant hope. It’s the type which glimmers the possibility of a short respite from the hustle and bustle of full-time coursework the next day. Maybe it was just in time that Winter Storm Albatross brought inches of snowfall across the state for the start of the Spring 2025 semester — but when will the next event be, and could it be a snow day?
According to the Academic Operations webpage, UConn’s Office of Emergency Management issues the notification of cancellation or delay following a joint resolution with the offices of the President, Provost, Facilities Operations and Faculty-Staff Labor Relations. The detail also says that UConn complies with orders by the governor to close state agencies or restrict road travel.
“The Office of Emergency Management strives to notify the University community promptly if it becomes necessary to delay or cancel classes, close campuses, or alter business operations,” reads the webpage.
Although there are no published criteria, the administration has historically cancelled classes when a significantly plowable amount of snow or dangerously slick ice conditions are forecast and expected to cause delays in road crew and cleanup operations.
The policy clarifies that any class with meeting times that overlap with the cancellation or delay timeframe will be fully cancelled — but in contrast to previous years, that catch-all provision only applies to in-person classes. For classes with an online or hybrid modality, the new clause implemented this year states that instructors may choose to cancel or may proceed as scheduled but cannot penalize students for not being present synchronously on a day with cancellations or delays.
Some students already feel that the new policy should reflect more consistency.
“I feel like if one [modality] is cancelled, they all should be,” said Nicholas Valentine, a second-year mechanical engineering student.
Any audio or video recordings and equivalent opportunities for students to complete “snow day coursework” must also be provided for at least 72 hours for online replacement classes no matter the original course modality. Assessments and exams are also prohibited from being required for any class on days when classes are cancelled, even if they are proctored online.
Other college-sponsored activities, like events at the Jorgensen Center for Performing Arts and athletic contests, are also independently reviewed by the relevant departments and stakeholders on a case-by-case basis. This past weekend, Winter Storm Albatross narrowly avoided interfering with a scheduled women’s basketball game against Seton Hall at 1 p.m. — choosing to remain as freezing rain through the game until we saw snowfall at sunset.
The storm only prompted a delay until 12 p.m. the following day, coinciding with Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
The governing document jointly managed by the decision-makers also outlines that certain “essential” employees will be expected to report to work as scheduled even in the event of closure or delay in categories that include safety and health, residential and dining services, maintenance, information technology and transportation among other services. The document calls these employees “Emergency Support Services Staff.”
The Office of University Safety webpage urges students and staff to be vigilant when planning to work and travel with the potential for winter weather. “Always consider your safety first. Weather and road conditions may vary considerably across the state, so all members of the University community must evaluate the circumstances they face,” their webpage reads.
UConn administration uses the “UConn Alert” computer system to distribute the closure notification. Students, staff and enrolled members of the public will receive the alert via email and text message in addition to being posted on the university’s official webpage and social media accounts — and being sent to local radio and television stations. Anybody can learn UConn’s status update by visiting alert.uconn.edu or by calling the 24-hour UConn Alert hotline at (860) 486-3768.
To stay updated with Connecticut weather, visit the National Weather Service’s webpages for their New York and Boston stations, in addition to the forecasts provided by local radio and television stations.