Prior to the arrival of inclement winter weather on Virginia Tech’s Blacksburg campus, university units prepare to combat and respond to winter conditions, ensuring Hokies can continue to live, learn, and work on the Blacksburg campus. 

Employees in University Operations, including those in the Division of Facilities and Division of Public Safety, work long before winter approaches and oftentimes behind the scenes in order to maintain campus operations throughout the winter months.   

“Our University Operations teams have a coordinated effort to respond to inclement weather conditions and maintain the university's ability to continue operations safely in support of students, staff, and faculty,” said Amy Sebring, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “I’m proud of their commitment to our community and the efficiency that they demonstrate in ensuring our roads and pathways, facilities, and services on campus remain operational even during inclement weather.”  

Division of Facilities

The Division of Facilities begins winter weather preparations toward the end of September in order to be ready to serve the campus community in the case of inclement weather.

Following the opening of several new buildings in the North Academic District, crews have obtained various new snow removal equipment to clear and maintain additional roadway and sidewalk space. 

Each year, over 300 division employees from the grounds crew, custodial services team, Virginia Tech Electric Service, Energy and Utilities teams, and maintenance shops are tasked with preparing and maintaining winter campus operations. During inclement weather, these teams are often on campus as early as 5 a.m. to ensure a safer campus experience. 

“Our crews play a critical role in continued university function during the winter months,” said Anthony Watson, assistant vice president of facilities operations. “They are tasked with clearing areas such as the Transit Center bus loops to ensure Blacksburg Transit can function and ultimately allow for classes to remain in operation.” 

Crews are assigned designated snow zones where facilities employees are responsible for shoveling stairways, assisting housekeepers with building entrances and Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps, and other removal areas.

“Snow zones ensure we are not duplicating efforts throughout winter weather events,” said Watson. “In order to prevent disruptions to campus operations, snow zones operate on a two hour rotation, allowing crews to visit each zone every two hours."

The division’s Energy and Utilities teams support and maintain electrical and mechanical systems inside the academic and general use buildings on the Blacksburg campus. These crews help ensure that building temperatures, power, and air circulation are performing successfully, especially during inclement weather events, allowing Hokies to live, learn and work in a more comfortable environment. 

Efforts to provide comfortable spaces for Hokies in the winter begin long before the temperatures drop. Routine preventive maintenance throughout the year allows for all academic and general use buildings to be prepared for cooler temperatures. 

“We support critical services for the university, whether that is classroom function or research,” said Nam Nguyen, executive director of energy and utilities. “Preventative maintenance allows us to get ahead and eliminate interruptions ensuring Hokies can continue to live, learn, and work throughout the winter.” 

Public Safety Division

Winter storms can be dynamic and unpredictable, particularly in the Blacksburg region. Annually in the fall semester, the Public Safety Division meets with representatives of Virginia Tech and the Town of Blacksburg to review and update the inclement weather protocols.

“The Public Safety Division brings together the stakeholders prior to a winter weather event to understand the potential operational impacts and develop a recommended action to university leadership. The unpredictability sometimes does not allow for advanced decision making, but it is the university’s goal to make this decision as far in advance,” said Mike Mulhare, interim associate vice president for public safety. Sebring has the final responsibility for making the decision to authorize closing or delaying opening of the campus. 

To suspend or delay university operations relies on information pertinent to

  • The most current weather forecast information available at the time of the decision

  • The condition of major roadways in the region

  • The condition of primary roads around campus

  • The condition of sidewalks and parking lots around university buildings

  • The current operational capabilities of university essential operations resources.

  • The operational status of public transportation such as Blacksburg Transit

  • Campus operations on the day(s) anticipated to be affected by the decision such as breaks, final exams, commencement, major athletic events, etc. 

  • Other conditions that may impact operations

  • The ability for campus operations to continue if no decision is made

The Virginia Tech Police Department assesses early morning conditions and obtains the status of off-road conditions from the town, county, and Virginia State Police so a decision can be made on how the university will operate for the day. Police work in collaboration with Blacksburg Transit and the Division of Facilities to determine the status of on-campus road conditions, utility concerns, and other safety-related issues.

Virginia Tech Emergency Management collects weather information provided by the National Weather Service (NWS) office in Blacksburg to help determine the need to activate snow route protocols. This helps determine the need to close or delay opening of the university. “We have a wonderful relationship with our partners at the National Weather Service and we're lucky to have them located so close to campus. While we leverage the information NWS provides to make informed decisions at the institutional level, we need each community member to be weather aware as well,” said Andrew Marinik, executive director for Emergency Management.

The university distributes information to the campus community and to public media concerning a delayed opening, class cancellation, or university closing. Communication of the status on all university operations can be found on the status page under "university operations." The status page serves as the primary repository for posting all the latest information and decisions to the campus community. 

For the Blacksburg campus, VT Alerts is used to notify the community. The weather/emergency hotline at 540-231-6668 also provides current university status. In accordance with University Policy 5600 on Authorized Closings, if all university operations on the Blacksburg campus are closed, in-person classes are automatically canceled. Virtual campus classes are not automatically canceled when the Blacksburg campus is closed.

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