Students, faculty and staff,

Inclement winter weather conditions on the Palouse will soon be here. We would like to remind everyone to take personal safety into account when determining whether travel to and from campus can be accomplished safely.

Because WSU Pullman is a residential and research campus, decision-makers consider a broad range of implications when making any change to campus operations. If classes are cancelled, many essential operations are still in service and essential personnel, including Facilities, Dining, and Police, remain on campus. The presumption is that, if campus is safe, we remain open. We have a finite number of classes and expectations for instructional delivery, as well as a commitment to proper use of state resources, that should push us to remain open whenever possible.

Travel conditions vary considerably across our region and state, and the safety of our students, faculty and staff is always a top priority.  We urge you to use your best judgement when deciding whether you can safely commute to campus in the event of inclement weather while WSU Pullman remains open. Planning for inclement conditions should include preparing a winter driving kit for your vehicle and wearing clothing that is appropriate for the weather conditions when outdoors. The WSU Safe Driver website provides many links and other important sources for safe driving information for you to check before traveling.

In the event the decision for WSU Pullman is to change from a normal operations schedule due to inclement weather, a WSU Alert will be sent out to our campus community. All WSU students, staff and faculty are encouraged to opt-in to receive these alerts on my.wsu.edu. Changes in operations ensure that our Facilities Services crews can manage the impacts of the weather and maintain a safe campus. The presumption for the following day is that operations will return to normal unless communicated to the WSU community.

As the winter season approaches, employees are encouraged to be aware of personnel expectations and processes for periods of inclement weather and for the possibility of suspended operations. Human Resource Services provides resources on the Inclement Weather & Suspended Operations website. If students anticipate difficulties traveling to campus during inclement weather, please work with your instructor to make alternate arrangements regarding course expectations.

We are working to make the WSU Pullman campus as safe as possible and hope everyone has an enjoyable winter season. #BeSafeCougs

WSU Police

WSU Office of Emergency Management