Inclement Weather Policy

McDaniel College is primarily a residential college with a majority of its undergraduate students living on campus; therefore, it is the intention of the College to remain open during inclement weather conditions. Should the weather create hazardous conditions, the college may modify the normal operating schedule, though online courses are not impacted by inclement weather in the same way as in-person classes. As always, our primary consideration is the safety of our campus community.  

Snow Removal Plan

McDaniel College uses a tiered snow removal plan. Below are the color-coded campus maps with an explanation of how pathways will be cleared. 

• RED: These pathways identified in red will be cleared first. The College will endeavor to keep them free from snow at all times. View map.
• GREEN: The second group of pathways is identified in green. When school is open, both red and green thoroughfares will be cleared. View map. 
• YELLOW: These are the lowest priority pathways. Once inclement weather has passed, these paths will be cleared. View Map. 

Closing and Delayed Opening Information

If the college modifies its normal hours of operation, the announcement of the decision will be:

• Posted on the main page of the McDaniel website at www.mcdaniel.edu
• E-mailed to the campus community, including faculty, staff and students
• Posted to McDaniel's official social media sites:
  1. Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/McDanielCollege
  2. X (formerly Twitter): @McDanielCollege

These are the official sources of information regarding any changes to the operating status of the college. The announcement will include the status of operations (modified schedule or closed) and the tiered snow removal plan in effect.

Although media outlets in Carroll County/Baltimore, Washington, D.C., and South Central Pennsylvania are notified of McDaniel’s campus status, do not depend on the news media for complete, accurate, up-to-date information.

Timeframe for Announcements

For an overnight weather-related event, the announcement will be made by 6 a.m. An announcement regarding evening classes on McDaniel's main campus will be made by 2 p.m.; announcements regarding Saturday activities will be made by 7 a.m. Off-campus graduate classes will not be held if the county school system where the class is held closes school due to inclement weather; off-campus graduate classes that meet on the weekend follow procedures outlined in the class syllabus.

What the announcements mean:

• McDaniel College is closed.

  • All face-to-face classes (day and evening, undergraduate and graduate) held on campus at McDaniel and all events are canceled unless specified, to include all organized athletic practices, meetings, and competitive events. Online and hybrid courses with scheduled virtual meetings will proceed as normal, unless otherwise specified in the closing announcement.
  • Off-campus graduate courses always follow the home school's system announcement. If your home school district is open, then McDaniel graduate classes held in your district will meet, regardless of conditions at the Westminster campus.
  • Administrative offices will be closed with only essential employees reporting as required. (Employees should view additional information below.)
  • Campus Safety and Building Services are operational. Medical emergencies should be directed to the Department of Campus Safety. Hoover Library is closed.
  • Food Service will operate with limited hours. Englar Dining Hall will open at 9 a.m. for continental breakfast with additional brunch options to be served from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For dinner, Englar Dining Hall will operate under normal hours from 4:45-8:30 p.m. The Hilltop Pub and Caseys’ Corner will be closed.

• McDaniel College opens at 10 a.m.

  • Administrative offices will open at 10 a.m., unless otherwise noted. Essential employees should report as required, non-essential full time employees should report at 10 a.m., and non-essential part time employees should report as requested by their supervisor. (Employees should view additional information below.)
  • Campus Safety and Building Services will be operational before 10 a.m., although perhaps on a limited basis. Medical emergencies should be directed to the Department of Campus Safety. Hoover Library will open at 10 a.m. 
  • Food Service will operate with limited hours. Englar Dining Hall will open at 9 a.m. for continental breakfast with additional brunch options to be served from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For dinner, Englar Dining Hall will operate under normal hours from 4:45-8:30 p.m. The Hilltop Pub and Caseys’ Corner will be closed.
  • In the event that the college does not open until 10 am, all organized athletic practices, meetings, and competitive events will be canceled or may be rescheduled after 10 am.
  • Below, you will find a modified class schedule for the fall, and spring semesters that meet face to face and the exam schedule for finals. For Jan Term and online classes will proceed as normal.

    M,W,F Modified Schedule

    Normal	Delay
    8:00-9:00 am	10:00-10:40 am
    9:10-10:10 am	10:50-11:30 am
    10:20-11:20 am	11:40-12:20 pm
    11:30-12:30 pm	12:30-1:10 pm
    12:40-1:40 pm	1:20-2:00 pm
    12:40-2:10 pm	1:20-2:25 pm
    12:40-3:40 pm	1:20-4:00 pm labs/seminars
    1:00-4:00 pm	1:20-4:00 pm labs/seminars
    1:50-2:50 pm	2:10-3:05 pm
    2:20-3:50 pm	2:35-3:50 pm
    3:00-4:00 pm	3:15-4:00 pm

    T,Th Modified Schedule

    Normal	Delay
    8:00-9:30 am	10:00-11:00 am
    9:40-11:10 am	11:10-12:10 pm
    11:20-12:50 pm	12:20-1:20 pm meeting period
    1:00-2:30 pm	1:30-2:45 pm
    1:00-4:00 pm	1:30-4:00 pm labs/seminars
    2:40-4:10 pm	2:55-4:10 pm

  • Below, you will find a modified class schedule for finals:

    Finals Week Modified Exam Schedule

    Normal	Delay
    8:30-11:30 am	10:00 am-1:00 pm
    1:30-4:30 pm	2:00-5:00 pm
    6:30-9:30 pm	6:30-9:30 pm

  • McDaniel College opens at noon.
    • In the event that the college does not open until noon during the fall and spring semester, all face-to-face classes with a normal start time prior to noon will be canceled, as well as all organized athletic practices, meetings, and competitive events; classes with a start time after noon will run as normally scheduled. Online classes will proceed as normal.
    • Administrative offices will open at 12 p.m., unless otherwise noted. Essential employees should report as required, non-essential full time employees should report at 12 p.m., and non-essential part time employees should report as requested by their supervisor.
    • Campus Safety and Building Services will be operational before 12 p.m., although perhaps on a limited basis. Medical emergencies should be directed to the Department of Campus Safety. Hoover Library will open at 12 p.m. 
    • Food Service will operate with limited hours. Food Service will operate with limited hours. Englar Dining Hall will open at 9 a.m. for continental breakfast with additional brunch options to be served from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. For dinner, Englar Dining Hall will operate under normal hours from 4:45-8:30 p.m. The Hilltop Pub and Caseys’ Corner will be closed.
    • Below, you will find a modified class schedule for Jan Term courses that meet face-to-face. Courses that are online or include an off-campus, overnight trip will continue as scheduled.

    • Jan Term modified schedule

      Normal	Delay
      10:00 am-12:00 pm	12:00-1:30 pm
      1:00-3:00 pm	2:30-4:00 pm

  • McDaniel College is closing at (12 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m., etc.)
    • All face-to-face classes and all events scheduled after the closing are canceled. Online classes will proceed as normal.
    • Administrative offices will close at the time announced and only essential employees will remain as required. (Employees should view additional information below.)
    • Food Service, Campus Safety, and Building Services are operational, although perhaps on a limited basis. Health Services is available by phoning Campus Safety. Hoover Library is closed. 

Additional Information for Staff

When the College modifies the normal operating schedule, staff employees will be designated as essential or non-essential.  

Essential Personnel: Staff designated as “Essential Personnel” by their job description are required to report to work as scheduled and/or as notified during inclement weather conditions. In the event of a large storm, essential personnel may be required to stay overnight on campus to ensure adequate staffing coverage. Please see the Staff Handbook for more information related to rate of pay during this time.

Non-Essential Personnel: Staff designated as “non-essential personnel” by their job description are not required to physically report to work when the College modifies the normal operating schedule. However, there may be instances in which an exempt staff member may be asked by his or her supervisor to work remotely if the responsibilities are unable to be shifted to another day. When the normal operating schedule is modified because of inclement weather, non-essential employees will be paid for their regularly scheduled shift for that day at the regular base rate of pay.

Liberal Leave

In the event there are hazardous travel conditions and the College remains open, employees in non-essential positions may elect to use liberal leave or work remotely, with supervisor approval. When in doubt, the employee should place safety first.

Options for Liberal Leave:

• Using Available Vacation Time: Staff may elect to use available vacation time to account for the time missed.
• Flexing Schedules: Staff may choose to make up the missed time on a different day. For staff members that are non-exempt and hourly, the hours must be made up within the same work week in which the liberal leave was used.
• Using Unpaid Leave: Should the staff member not have any available vacation time and not be able to flex his or her schedule, the staff member may use this time as leave without pay.

Faculty Information

Faculty will follow the class schedule as indicated by the announcements.

Official Sources for Inclement Weather Information

Again, the official sources for inclement weather information are the McDaniel.edu website, an email announcement to the campus community, the official McDaniel College Facebook page, and on X (formerly Twitter) @McDanielCollege.