College Emergency Procedures & Policies
Including Weather Emergencies
A Senior Emergency Response Group (SERG) is established to determine the existence and nature of an emergency (including weather emergencies) affecting the College, and to initiate appropriate action and communication regarding such emergencies. The Group will continue to serve during the emergency, to coordinate the College’s efforts, and to advise the President on decisions regarding the emergency.
Members of the Senior Emergency Response Group
President, Vice President for Asset Management and Treasurer, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Students, Director of College Relations, Director of Human Resources, Director of Physical Plant, and the Director of Security.
SERG Operating Procedures
- Following consultation with Security the President or, if the President is unavailable, the Vice President for Academic Affairs, Dean of Students and the Vice President for Asset Management (in that order) will determine whether to convene SERG. In their absence, the director of security will activate the SERG committee. The Director or his designee will inform the Office of College Relations of the incident. In the event of imminent danger to individuals or groups of individuals, public safety procedures will take precedence over immediately activating SERG.
- Bates Security and Campus Safety will contact the SERG and other necessary personnel.
- If SERG is convened, they will meet in the Bates Security and Campus Safety Office during the emergency or crisis.
- Immediate objectives of SERG, once convened:
- Identify the nature and scope of the emergency.
- Establish priorities and coordinate crisis response efforts.
- Activate the emergency telephone system in the event of a power failure. If this system fails, activate the campus phone tree or courier system.
- Interact with outside agencies including, but not limited to, the American Red Cross, law enforcement, fire department, and the Emergency Management Agency.
- Determine the times and means to report efforts and progress to the campus community.
Depending on the nature of the emergency, additional members of SERG may be added, including, but not limited to, the head of Bates Emergency Medical Service (EMS), Director of Health Services, or the Vice President for External and Alumni Affairs.
Weather Emergencies
At the announcement of a weather emergency, the Senior Emergency Response Group (SERG) will determine whether or not College services are to be open or closed. The announcement will be made on radio and television (see below), as well as by Security when contacted. If College offices are closed, only those personnel already defined in advance by the director of the department as “essential” should report for work; no other personnel should report. “Essential” personnel will be needed only to preserve safety, health, and maintenance functions. If College offices are declared open, all personnel should assume that they report to work.
Guidelines for Staff
When Bates College declares a weather emergency, only “essential” personnel should report for work as scheduled.
If the President, or his or her designee, declares a weather emergency and the College closes its offices, each department head will have determined, in advance, on the basis of typical categories of situations (e.g., weather emergencies), who in the department is to be considered “essential.” However, it is understood there will be unanticipated categories of emergency that may require the director of the department to make last-minute contact with key employees.
Employees not asked to report to work (except temporary employees) will receive their regular pay. If an employee is on vacation or sick leave during a declared weather emergency (and College offices are closed), the day(s) of emergency will be added to the employee’s vacation or sick leave balance.
Regular non-exempt employees who are required to work during a weather emergency will receive pay at 2 ½ times the straight time rate of pay. This is figured by adding 1 ½ times pay (the overtime rate) and an added 1 time (straight-time) pay to make allowance for the excused time pay received by other nonexempt employees during the emergency.
If Bates does not declare that College offices are closed as a result of a weather emergency, weather conditions nevertheless may cause employees to be concerned about traveling to and from work depending on the distance of travel, the hazards of driving or other subjective factors. In such cases, the employees will have to make their own judgments about whether to stay home or to leave work early. An employee’s decision, based on individual circumstances, will be respected when shared with his or her supervisor. If an employee chooses not to travel or decides to leave work early because of concerns about the weather, he or she may use accumulated vacation time, make up the time on other days within the same week (or its practical equivalent) if approved by the supervisor, or take leave without pay.
Temporary employees may be required to report for work during weather emergencies if they are declared essential. Temporary employees who work during the weather emergency will receive time-and-one-half pay for hours worked, in accordance with the normal pay policies and practices of the College.
Classes. Because Bates is a residential college, the College may be in session (during the academic term) when a declared emergency occurs; the operating assumption will be that classes will still be held. On rare occasions, the College, through SERG, may have to announce an emergency so severe that classes are canceled. The announcement of the cancellation of classes will be a separate announcement from the declaration of the closing of College offices. [Announcements would be "Bates College offices are closed; classes remain open. Only essential personnel should report to work."; — or "Bates College offices are closed; classes are canceled. Only essential personnel should report to work."]
Even if classes are not canceled, individual instructors whose travel to the campus would be hazardous, or who (for other reasons) are unable to meet their classes, may decide to cancel their classes and reschedule them later. This information would be most effectively addressed to the Office of the Dean of the Faculty. On the unusual condition of the official declaration of the cancellation of classes, radio announcements, electronic and telephonic postings, as well as written postings on campus buildings will be made.
Professional services at the College. Unless an emergency has been declared which closes College services, the assumption should be that offices and services are open. If the College is open, individuals may decide not to come to work when travel risks or other weather-related factors make it inadvisable. Professional service providers, who are unable to come to work when a weather emergency has not been declared, will use vacation or sick time.
fIndependent contractors not providing services, whether or not an emergency has been declared, should not bill for that time.
Special events and programs (including non-resident Summer programs) will be canceled if the College closes its services; while an effort to provide appropriate notice will be made canceling a specific event, the assumption shall be that if College offices are closed, then the special event will be canceled.
Volunteers. Employees not asked to work as a result of the emergency situation, and who wish to volunteer to assist, may volunteer at the central communications center (see below). A member of the Human Resources staff will be available to coordinate deployment of volunteers.
Parking restrictions during a weather emergency will be announced by Security and posted throughout the campus.
Announcements
Announcements will be made that the College has declared a weather emergency and closed basic services and/or has declared a weather emergency, closed basic services, and canceled classes. These announcements will be:
- First news media notification will be made to WCSH TV-6.
- Broadcast over radio stations: WLAM-AM 870, WRBC-FM 91.5 — as well as television stations — WCSH-TV (Channel 6) , WGME-TV (Channel 13) and WMTW-TV (Channel 8), Fox TV-51.
- If power is available, emergency messages will be on the campus e-mail network and onvoicemail so many employees can dial in from home. The College Web page will also carry the relevant information.
The Security Office, or a designated alternate site, will be the College’s central communications center. An emergency telephone information number will be provided and published in College publications which can be used to obtain current information.
Source: Section 138, Bates College Eployee Handbook.