Stay informed of any necessary action to take and/or impacts to university operations.
Latest Updates
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Updates and Communication
We will be keeping our community advised of any updates or changes to operations — including if there is a decision to close or delay the University’s regular business operations — through Clark Alerts and the following channels:
To receive Clark Alerts via text and email, you must be signed up. To sign up, share your email address and cell phone number via ClarkYou. On the Welcome page, click on Clark ALERTS Updater.
Inclement Weather Policy
As a primarily residential campus with students who continue to need services irrespective of the weather, Clark University rarely closes. When the University is open during inclement weather, all regular employment policies remain in effect. If you are absent from work, you may use your earned personal or vacation time only for this purpose. If you will not be at work, will be arriving late, or need to leave early, please notify your supervisor as soon as possible.
Whether the University remains open or closes, each administrative department should determine their own staffing needs, which may include working from home. However, it is expected that administrative departments that are key to operations and sustaining the student experience must identify essential staff to remain on campus without interruption.
Our teaching model generally is in person. If we close the campus, faculty should teach remotely, if feasible and after consultation with their department chairs.
Snow Clearing
The first priority of Facilities Management is to maintain safety and access for the main campus community with a special emphasis upon residence halls and essential services. Facilities Management will be working hard to clear campus, with several teams working to cover as much area as possible as quickly as possible. Especially with a significant snowstorm, clearing can take some time, we encourage you to take caution when walking on campus, as some areas could be slippery.
Please be cautious when traveling on walkways across the campus during the winter months. Local weather will fluctuate suddenly and bring hazardous conditions even when there is no snow in the forecast. Slick conditions caused by thaw/freeze cycles and intermittent precipitation that starts as rain and later freezes are a particular and common concern.
Winter Weather and Parking
Parking around the campus can be a challenge, particularly during the winter months with the piles of snow and restricted parking on city streets. Please remember that overnight parking in the garage and designated lots requires specific parking decals.
The commuter parking lots close at midnight, and no vehicles can be parked in those locations after that time — with or without a decal. Vehicles parked in commuter parking lots or in designated overnight parking areas without the proper decals will be subject to ticketing, booting, or towing. Learn about Clark’s parking policies or purchase a parking decal.
Off campus, do keep in mind that several streets in the neighborhood are marked as residents-only parking, which requires decals from the city.
If you choose to park on the streets in the neighborhood, become informed about the city’s winter parking regulations and parking ban declarations. Follow winter parking updates from the City of Worcester regarding the city’s snow removal requirements and parking bans.
Be Prepared
Always remember that there are steps you should take to be well-prepared for a serious weather incident.
- Power outages are often possible in these situations. Be sure to fully charge cellphones, laptops, battery packs, and other devices. In the case of an outage, remember that no candles are permitted in university buildings, including residence halls.
- Plan to stay in your home and off roads during peak storm conditions.
- Be mindful of your surroundings. Thruways could be challenging to navigate. Trees could weaken or fall, and power lines could be downed.
- Keep adequate supplies of water, medicine, and other essential items well stocked and handy.
- If you have an emergency on campus, contact University Police at 1-508-793-7575.