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The University does not take any campus closures lightly and makes every effort to remain open and able to serve our students and community; however, our first priority is always the safety of our students and employees.

In the event of severe winter weather, the Physical Plant staff will monitor the condition of campus roads, parking lots and sidewalks, providing administrators with an estimated time that campus surfaces could be treated or cleared. Administrators and staff also will evaluate travel hazards commuters to campus might face by consulting several resources, including the Missouri Department of Transportation, city and county law enforcement, street and road crews as well as local news outlets.

After careful consideration, the President of Missouri Western in consultation with other administrators will make the final decision on any campus closure, usually before 6 a.m. In the event of a campus weather closure, a message will be sent to the campus community via the Griffon Alert emergency notification system. This includes emails to Missouri Western email accounts and posts to Facebook and Twitter. Students and employees may also sign up to receive text alerts here.

Off-site learning opportunities, such as clinicals, internships and the Kansas City Northland campus among others may have weather conditions different from those affecting St. Joseph and may require a different closing decision. Also, some faculty members may use Canvas, email or other means to conduct classes and make assignments remotely when campus is closed; students should not assume that because campus is closed, they won’t have assignments.

In the event Missouri Western remains open during a winter weather event, students and employees should evaluate the conditions where they live; if they feel they are unable to safely travel to campus when it is open, they should contact their instructors or supervisors to make arrangements.