When the weather is questionable or a blizzard is predicted the administration at the College follow this protocol before making a decision to cancel classes:

• We call the RCMP, weather service, city bus service, and Department of Works, Services and Transportation.
• We check weather and road report web sites.
• When possible, one of the senior administrators will drive on city streets and on the highway to see actual conditions.
• We consult the administration of the Corner Brook campus of College of the North Atlantic and Western School Board.

We aim to accomplish all this before 6:50 a.m. At this point, if we’ve decided to cancel classes, students can find out by:

• Listening to local radio stations – Students should listen to the following radio stations at around 7:00 am: K-Rock (103.9 FM), CFCB (570 AM), CBC (990 AM)
• Checking our home page – http://www.swgc.mun.ca/ – In the News section of our website, there will be an orange box, with the school closure information located inside of it. NOTE: You should always make sure you are viewing the latest version of the webpage. You should always close your browser and reopen our webpage, instead of using refresh.
• Checking their SWGC email – There will be a message sent out if classes are cancelled.
• Checking the recorded message on our main phone line, 637-6200 – If classes are cancelled the recorded message will be changed to provide that information.

The radio stations announce school cancellations shortly after the 7 a.m. news. If you do not hear information pertaining to Grenfell, it means the school will remain open for the morning session. If the weather remains questionable, senior administration meet again in preparation for the 11 a.m. radio announcements. We follow the same protocol, phoning the various authorities and consulting weather and road Web sites before arriving at a decision. Listening to local radio stations around 11 a.m. will give you information about the afternoon session.

We follow the same procedure for evening classes, aiming to have announcements on the radio by 4 p.m. at the latest. If you have a phone or computer nearby, however, calling the main phone line at Grenfell or visiting the home page is your best course of action.

Ultimately, it is the decision of the individual to come to the university when the weather is uncertain. It is understandable that students feel compelled to attend class – it is, after all, your main responsibility. But in instances where your own personal circumstances are not addressed, then you must make the decision based on the best information you have, as we also attempt to do. If you must miss class, it is a good idea to email or phone your instructors and explain your absence. You can be confident that faculty and staff will understand and accept the reasons for your absence in such situations and that you will not lose marks for missing class. In fact, students cannot be penalized for missing class at any time except in the case of labs and some visual arts studio courses.

Similarly, in the case of faculty and staff, should you live outside Corner Brook and be required to travel over the highway or any of the Bay of Islands routes and not feel comfortable in doing so, there will be no penalty for delays in arriving at work, or not coming to work at all, if storm conditions persist, and, in your judgment, road and highway conditions are not safe. When classes are cancelled in the early morning, staff are not required to report for work. When classes are cancelled later on in the day or evening, staff are not required to remain on campus.

There is nothing convenient about a snow storm, or any other interruption of our daily lives. But we will continue to try to make the best decisions with the information we are given.