Proposed Policies Will Alter Campus Closure and Class Procedures During Emergencies

To limit potential academic interruptions and streamline decision-making in hazardous weather and other potential emergency situations, the Georgia Tech Department of Emergency Management and Communications, the Office of the Provost, and the Registrar’s Office have proposed a pair of policies that will alter current campus procedures.  

Both policies will be open for public campus comment on April 3 for a period of two weeks. If adopted, the policies would replace “campus closure” and “class canceled” designations with Modified Campus Operations for faculty and staff and Digital Learning Days for students.  

Explaining the genesis of the reshaped policies, the policy owners emphasized that closures result in the loss of valuable instruction, research, and operational time campuswide. The new procedures attempt, when possible, to limit emergency and hazardous weather impact on the Institute’s operations by optimizing remote work and virtual teaching and learning. 

Modified Campus Operations  

Under the proposed “modified operations” designation, departments will continue offering essential services on-site (when necessary) and virtually. Each department will identify the employees needed remotely when the Institute enters modified operations and communicate expectations accordingly.  

When on-campus activities are suspended under Modified Campus Operations, Digital Learning Days will provide a way for instruction to continue if possible. Students will be expected to check Canvas or other communication methods for updates and expectations from their instructors. 

Employees who are not needed on campus and cannot perform their work virtually will see no change under the proposed updates to the policy.  

Digital Learning Days 

With developments and improvements to digital instruction over the past few years, the goal of this policy is to leverage digital learning as much as reasonably possible. When the Institute moves to “modified operations,” it is proposed that classes be shifted to a virtual setting, whenever viable. 

Professors will be given discretion on the scheduling of digital instruction and/or makeup classes due to Modified Campus Operations.  

Should an exam fall on a Modified Campus Operations day or Digital Learning Day, the best practice is for the faculty member to administer the exam during the next in-person class meeting. If a long-term interruption occurs (more than three days), the Office of the Provost reserves the right to determine the need for makeup classes.  

With the safety of the campus community in mind, the proposed changes afford managers and instructors the discretion to assess individual situations rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach — while minimizing interruptions to Institute operations.   

Notification of Campus During Modified Campus Operations and Digital Learning Days 

In the event of hazardous weather, students, faculty, and staff can find out about campus closures and Tech's response in several ways: 

All announcements, including specific changes to campus services, such as transportation or dining services, will be shared on the Georgia Tech homepage. 

In the event of Modified Campus Operations, an alert will be sent via the Georgia Tech Emergency Notification System (GTENS). Concurrently, notifications will be announced across the official Georgia Tech social media accounts.  

Staff can expect to be notified directly by their supervisor of their role during Modified Campus Operations and Digital Learning Day implementation.  

It is expected that students will receive communication from their instructors regarding digital instruction schedules and makeup classes or exams.  

Finally, Institute Communications will immediately notify local radio and television stations to include Georgia Tech on their lists of closures in the area.  

Campus Comment Period 

The campus comment period for both proposed policies opens today, April 3, and will remain open for two weeks.  

If you would like to read the detailed proposed policy documents, they are available for review at policylibrary.gatech.edu/policy-announcements/opencampuscomment.  

If you have questions or comments about these policies, please submit feedback about the Digital Learning Days for Modified Campus Operations policy via the feedback form, and submit feedback about the Modified Operations During Emergencies and Campus Interruptions policy to oem@groups.gatech.edu.