E-150.1 Inclement Weather Communication Plan

The Inclement Weather Communication Plan outlines the procedures and strategies the Marketing and Communications Team implements to ensure efficient and effective communication during adverse weather conditions that may impact normal operations.

INTERNAL COMMUNICATION

SafeAlert: This system delivers messages by text, phone, or email. All

Students and Employees are automatically registered and can customize their communication preferences. For closures, the Executive Director of Marketing and Communication sends the SafeAlert within 10-15 minutes after notification from the Vice President of Finance and College Operations/CFO. Decisions by the President/District Director or designee regarding the closure of College Premises are made by 5:00 a.m. for morning operations or by 2:45 p.m. for evening operations.

Sample notifications:

College Closure

• Wednesday, Feb. 22 – All Blackhawk Technical College locations will be closed Wednesday, Feb. 22, because of weather conditions. Please check blackhawk.edu, your Blackhawk email, and the College’s Facebook page for updates as we monitor the weather conditions. Students: Please check Blackboard for course-specific information from your instructors.

Delayed Opening

• Thursday, Feb. 16 – All morning classes and activities at Blackhawk Technical College are canceled for Thursday, Feb. 16, due to anticipated winter weather conditions. Afternoon and evening classes will be held, but please stay tuned for updates as we monitor the latest weather conditions.

MyBTC: The Executive Director of Marketing and Communication or the designee creates an announcement for the top of MyBTC, alerting Students and Employees to the change in operations.

EXTERNAL COMMUNICATION

Media Outlets: The Marketing and Communication Executive Director shares closing/delay information with radio and television stations. The information is shared live on a ticker for TV, read on the radio, and put on websites. The messages have character limits and often contain only one (1) or two (2) words, such as "Closed" or "Delayed." The College will also notify the local media in the event of the College closing but cannot guarantee coverage or listing.

Social Media: The Executive Director of Marketing and Communication or the designee posts an alert on the College’s Facebook page that links to the news page on blackhawk.edu.

Website: The Executive Director of Marketing and Communication or the designee updates the red banner at the top of blackhawk.edu with an alert that links to a news page with more information.

Inclement Weather Webpage: This webpage will be unique to the closure or delay and will be updated with information as needed. It will include information for Students about checking the Learning Management System (LMS) for course-specific information from instructors. It will also include Shuttle schedule changes, contact information if a Student needs to reach someone within Student Services, and services available from the IT Help Desk.