To: Senate
From: Robert K. Wismer
Re: Possible Snow Day and Snow Delay Resolution
Date: 17 April 2001
The Registrar has "standard" time periods for classes. They are listed in the course selection book with the final exam schedule:
MWF 7 8 9 10 11 noon 1 2 3 4
TT 8 9:30 11 1 2:30 4
Consider a one-hour delay on Tuesday. We need to get 1 hour = 60 minutes out of the six periods that the registrar states exist that day. That averages 10 minutes from each (75-minute? or 80-minute?) period. We work backward from the 4:00 period, and arrive at these starting times.
9 10:20 11:40 1:30 2:50 4:10
For a two-hour delay, we take 2 hours = 120 minutes from the six periods, 20 minutes from each.
10 11:10 12:20 2:00 3:10 4:20
On MWF there are ten (10) periods-if there truly are 7:00 a.m. classes-that divide the 60-minute delay, 6 minutes for each. This reduces each 50-minute period to 44 minutes.
8 8:54 9:48 10:42 11:36 12:30 1:24 2:18 3:12 4:06
Then the 120 minutes of a two-hour delay becomes 12 minutes per class period. This reduces each 50-minute period to 38 minutes.
9 9:48 10:36 11:24 12:12 1 1:48 2:36 3:24 4:12
If an individual faculty member does not have a class that fits the registrar's "standard" times, that faculty member can inform his/her class of the one- and two-hours delay schedule at the beginning of the semester in the syllabus, with the injunction that his/her modification not conflict with "standard"-timed classes.
If the university cancels a day because of inclement weather, that day will be made up on the Saturday following spring break. If two days are cancelled, those days will be made up the Saturday following spring break and the Sunday fifteen days later. If three days are cancelled, those days will be made up the Saturday following spring break, the Sunday fifteen days later, and the last Saturday in April.
If the university cancels one evening's classes because of inclement weather, those classes will be made up on the Friday evening following spring break. If two evenings' classes are cancelled, they will be made up on the Friday evening following spring break and the Friday evening 14 days thereafter. If three evenings' classes are cancelled, they will be made up on the Friday evening following spring break, the Friday evening 14 days thereafter, and the Friday evening 28 days thereafter.
The specific dates (such as 14 April) to which these dates correspond will be published as snow dates in the undergraduate and graduate class schedules. The dates may be moved at the discretion of the administration if they conflict with religious holy days such as Passover or Easter.
If the instructor and all the students can agree on an alternate time and can schedule a classroom, that time and place can substitute for these dates. Of course, the instructor retains the right to cancel a class.