Emergency Management: Inclement Weather Policy, Procedures at UT Dallas

Dear Campus Community,

When The University of Texas at Dallas must close or change its hours due to weather or other emergencies, it is important for the Comet community to understand the various means of communication that will be used to keep faculty, staff and students up to date.

UT Dallas is open for regular business operations and instructional activities unless indicated otherwise on the UT Dallas homepage. Employees and students are expected to exercise judgment regarding their ability to travel safely to campus in inclement weather. They are not expected to place travel for work or class attendance above considerations for individual health and safety.

If conditions require suspension of in-person classes, meetings and other activities on campus, every effort will be made to post information on UT Dallas-controlled sites no later than 6 a.m. Late-breaking weather developments may occasionally require afternoon notifications of evening event cancellations. Students, faculty, staff and community members are encouraged to monitor UT Dallas’ communication outlets when threatening weather is forecast.

For further guidance on class instruction during interruptions to campus operations, please see the provost’s memo from Aug. 22, 2025.

Students and faculty are encouraged to make use of eLearning and other means of continuing academic progress if conditions prohibit travel.

If suspension of activities is necessary, UT Dallas will:

• Send an announcement via UTD Alert, triggering a text message to all registered cellphone numbers and an email to all students, faculty and staff.
• Post closure information on the UT Dallas website – utdallas.edu.
• Post an announcement on UT Dallas’ official social media channels including facebook.com/utdallas, x.com/UT_Dallas and Instagram.com/ut_dallas.
• Inform local media outlets as needed.

The official and authoritative sources of closure information are the UT Dallas homepage and UTD Alert messages that members of the campus community should automatically receive. If you are not receiving messages during tests conducted on the first Wednesday of every month at noon, please log in to Galaxy and update your cellphone number. When you are updating your cellphone number in Galaxy, make sure it’s correctly added to the field labeled “Mobile.”

Satellite Campuses

Campuses and centers that are outside of the main campus in Richardson may have different closure situations:

• For the UT Dallas Callier Center for Communication Disorders, check voicemail message advisories at 972-883-3601, option 1. Also see the Callier Center’s homepage.
• The UT Dallas Center for Vital Longevity will send direct emails to faculty, staff, and students, and post updates on the CVL website for instances affecting the Dallas campuses only.
• The Arlington Regional Data Center (ARDC) will send direct communications to its staff.
• The UT Dallas Center for BrainHealth will follow UT Dallas’ schedule. Variations will be communicated via email.

Students

If the campus is closed, it is likely that classes will continue online. It is each student’s responsibility to check with the course instructor for information about their specific class situation. Students who choose not to report for class when UT Dallas is open and inclement weather impedes travel must make up their absences in the manner prescribed by their instructors in the class syllabi or as announced for the entire University.

Faculty and Staff

Faculty and staff will shift to remote work, as directed by their supervisor, during inclement weather, campus emergencies, building closures, or other disruptions to their on-campus workspace. Employees who typically work on campus but are not required to be physically present during such events may be assigned alternative duties to be performed remotely. These duties may include professional development, monitoring emails or websites, assisting other units, or being on call to support their department or the University.

Remote employees who experience weather-related disruptions, utility outages, or other circumstances that prevent them from working at their regular location must consult with their supervisor to identify a secure alternative location, either on campus or elsewhere, to continue working.

Supervisors are encouraged to be flexible and understanding, particularly when employees are managing caregiving responsibilities or experiencing utility outages. At their discretion, supervisors may adjust employees’ work schedules to make up for hours missed during the week.

Employees who are unable to perform remote or alternative duties must consult with their supervisor. In such cases, the supervisor will determine whether the use of applicable accrued leave is appropriate.

Tiffany Parker
Assistant Director Emergency Management/Fire Marshal
Office of Institutional Risk & Safety