MSU Denver

MSU Denver Alerts:

MSU Denver and the Auraria Campus are open under normal operating conditions.  

Please review the weather procedures below for specific information about closure or delayed start procedures and impacts on work and class schedules. 

How to stay up to date on weather-related closures or delays:

Generally, full-day closure and delay decisions are determined before 6:00 a.m.

In the event of a campus closure, delayed start or early dismissal, students and employees will receive a text message and/or email from the RAVE Alert System with current information.

Sign Up for RAVE alerts:

Visit the MSU Denver RAVE alert page  to add mobile device numbers or additional email addresses to receive alerts. The system uses your MSU Denver NetID and password.

Additional ways to stay up to date on weather-related closures or delays include:

Announcements are also shared with local news stations 9News, CBS4, 7News the Denver Channel, and KDVR Fox News31.

If weather conditions necessitate campus closure

Campus closures are classified due to the time of the closure:

  • Full-day closure: campus is closed for the full academic and work day
  • Late-Start: campus is closed until a designated time before which no in-person classes or work will take place and after which regular in-person schedules should resume
  • Early-close: campus closes at a designated time after which no in-person classes or work will take place, until the following day
  In-Person Classes 

(Students/Faculty) 

 Online Classes 

(Students/Faculty) 

 In-person Work 

(Staff) 

 Online Work 

(Staff) 
Full-day closure  Closed  May continue as scheduled, please confirm status with instructor  Closed, to non-essential work  Closed, to non-essential work 
Late Start  Closed, until late start time  May continue as scheduled, please confirm status with instructor  Closed, to non-essential work  Closed, to non-essential work 
Early Close  Closed, after early close time  May continue as scheduled, please confirm status with instructor  Closed, to non-essential work  Open – online work should continue  

 

Full-day Closure

Faculty and students

A campus closure is applicable to all faculty members and students on campus, meaning that all in-person instruction is canceled for the day. Online courses may continue at the discretion of the instructor.   

Any individual mandatory attendance policies for specific on-campus classes are suspended if campus is closed. Faculty members should not require students to attend a class on-campus when campus is closed due to inclement weather.  

 

Staff 

Essential personnel (who are already pre-identified by their departments, such as facilities staff) must report in person. Staff members who ordinarily work on campus do not need to report to campus and do not need to work remotely.

Staff members who have a remote work agreement in place also do not need to work during a campus closure unless instructed to by their supervisor for critical business needs. The University encourages flexibility and equity. 

Late Start or Early Close

Faculty and students

For late-start, if a class is scheduled to begin before the designated delayed start time, that class is canceled. For example, if the campus will open at 10 a.m. and a class runs from 9 to 11 a.m., that class is canceled. Any classes scheduled on or after the delayed start time should resume in-person, as scheduled. 

For early-close, if a class is scheduled to end after a posted early dismissal time, that class is canceled. For example, if campus is closing at 2 p.m., a class that runs from 1 – 3 p.m. is canceled. 

Staff 

For delayed starts, employees who are scheduled to work in-person on campus that day would report for work at the delayed start time. Employees working remotely that day would also start their days at the delayed start time.

Early dismissal would apply only to anyone working in person at that time; employees working online/remotely are generally expected to complete the workday as usual. Supervisors are encouraged to be flexible.

Classroom obligations and work duties should be fulfilled at a later date

A campus closure does not mean students, faculty, or staff members are unaccountable for any classroom content or work duties that would have occurred on the closure day, but instead, should plan to fulfill those obligations on a different day.

Use judgment and communicate with faculty or supervisor

If campus is open during inclement weather, MSU Denver encourages students, faculty members and staff members to use their best judgment as to their ability to safely reach campus. Students should communicate with faculty, faculty with their department chairs, and staff with their supervisors if they feel unable to reach campus in a safe manner.

How we determine campus closures

A snowy day on Auraria Campus.Weather-related closure, early dismissal and late start decisions are always made collectively and cooperatively by the AHEC (Auraria Higher Education Center) and leadership from each of the three educational institutions on the Auraria campus (MSU Denver, CU Denver and Community College of Denver). 

AEC members receive information directly from the National Weather Service in Boulder and also consult with AHEC Facilities Services and Emergency Management. Before and during a storm, AHEC officials participate in public-safety conference calls with the NWS and consult with campus safety officials. The officials then evaluate the information with Facilities Services to gauge the team’s ability to keep the campus accessible and safe.

The safety of students, faculty, and staff is paramount.  These decisions must be made with due consideration to the safety and teaching, service, and outreach missions of the majority of students, faculty and staff.  Faculty, staff, and students should evaluate their own circumstances carefully, exercise appropriate judgment, and take responsibility for their safety when making decisions during an emergency. 

More Emergency Information

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