Statement from Presidents Krepel and Montgomery Regarding Decision to Remain Open Feb. 8

To our students, faculty and staff:

In response to questions and comments we have received, we would like to explain our reasoning for main campus remaining open today, Feb. 8.

Every weather situation is different, so we have to make decisions to remain open or to close based on the specific situation. Staff members were monitoring the weather all weekend, and several events were canceled on Friday and Saturday. Once the snow storm ended, the Physical Plant did a good job with road-clearing operations and, workers had more than 24 hours to get campus ready for today. Our law enforcement staff was in contact with local and regional law enforcement agencies who reported that normal operations were reasonable based on road conditions.

Your safety is important to us. We understand that we have students, faculty and staff who live in outlying areas. We understand that some of you are dealing with power outages. The main principle we want students and employees to follow is to use good judgment and to avoid unnecessary risks.  Whether FSU and Pierpont are open or closed, you should decide whether you can safely travel to campus.  This principle is also stated in the Emergency Response Guide that is posted on the front pages of our web sites.

We have asked all campus personnel to be accommodating under adverse weather conditions. Students who feel conditions for travel to campus are unsafe should contact their instructors and make the necessary arrangements for their absence.  Employees who feel they cannot safely travel to work should contact their supervisors.

We are expecting more snow to fall this week and will continue to monitor campus conditions and road conditions.

In general, media announcements are not made if FSU and Pierpont are operating on a normal schedule. The online Emergency Response Guide contains sections on Weather or Emergency Closings and information on Weather Emergencies. These sections spell out the procedures for weather-related closings. Printed copies of the guide are also available. We recommend that you become familiar with the guide, which offers a great deal of valuable information on emergency situations.

Sincerely,

Thomas L. Krepel, Ph.D.
President, Fairmont State University

Blair Montgomery
President, Pierpont Community & Technical College