This page offers clarification for what closures, delays, liberal leave, and more might mean for UMB employees and students.
Resources:
Please note: In the event of any conflicting information, always adhere to UMB and USM policies.
Use the anchor links below to navigate to a section:
Closure | Delay | Liberal and Administrative Leave | Early Departure | Other
Essential employees are employees who provide essential services such as maintenance, snow removal, public safety, patient care, laboratory personnel, or employees who provide other essential services during emergency conditions.
These employees are required to report to work on days the University decides to delay opening or close the UMB campus. Employees who are unsure of their status should contact their supervisor.
Employees who are designated as essential employees shall receive notification on an annual basis during the month of October. Essential employees are expected to report to work and perform their duties regardless of whether there is a delayed opening or closure of the campus. Employees who are unsure of their status should contact their supervisor.
Employees who are designated as "essential" are required to come to campus unless alternative instructions have been communicated by the employee's supervisor.
Nonexempt Regular and Contingent II employees who are designated as essential and required to physically work on-site during a weather closure may be entitled to receive compensatory time or additional pay in accordance with relevant human resources policies, in addition to any applicable collective bargaining MOU provisions.
If you have questions about your specific responsibilities or circumstances, please communicate with your immediate supervisor or instructor about whether to come to campus.
As a reminder, UMB closings DO NOT APPLY to either UMMC campus or FPI employees. FPI employees should contact their supervisors.
While the University never closes, sometimes the physical campus will close due to inclement weather for the safety of our entire UMB community.
Only essential operations should occur during an on-campus closure. Employees who are not designated as "essential" should not come to campus. If you are unsure if you are "essential," you should communicate with your immediate supervisor.
As a reminder:
UMB closings DO NOT APPLY to either UMMC campus or FPI employees. FPI employees should contact their supervisors.
While the University never closes, sometimes the physical campus will close due to inclement weather for the safety of our entire UMB community. Only activities deemed essential should occur on-campus during a closure.
If you have questions about your specific responsibilities or circumstances, please communicate with your immediate supervisor or instructor about whether to come to campus or if you need alternative accommodations due to weather conditions in your local area.
In the event an employee’s physical UMB worksite is closed due to inclement weather or similar emergency conditions on a day the employee is approved to telework, the employee is expected to continue to telework or to take liberal leave. Supervisors may not unreasonably deny a teleworker’s request to take leave during an emergency closure if the emergency condition results in unexpected dependent care obligations (e.g., school closure). See UMB Policy on Telework, section VII-D.
Employees permitted to telework, but unable to do so, must follow departmental procedures for notification of the decision to use liberal leave.
As a reminder, UMB closings DO NOT APPLY to either UMMC campus or FPI employees. FPI employees should contact their supervisors.
Yes. Because you are approved to telework on a day that a weather closure or delay is implemented, you should work your regular schedule via telework or take liberal leave.
You should speak to your supervisor about taking leave. The UMB Telework Policy provides that supervisors may not unreasonably deny a teleworker’s request to take leave during an emergency closure if the emergency condition results in unexpected dependent care obligations (e.g., school closure). See UMB Policy on Telework, section VII-D.
If you have approved your employees to telework on a day that the University implements a weather closure or delay, they should work their regular schedule or take liberal leave. To avoid any doubt, supervisors should communicate their expectations well in advance of any weather closure or delays.
No. The UMB Policy on Telework states that if a weather delay or closure occurs “on a day the employee is approved to Telework, the employee is expected to continue to Telework or to take leave.” The intent of this language is that, while the University generally expects teleworkers who are able to perform their jobs remotely to continue to telework, supervisors should not impose telework expectations on employees who would ordinarily be in the office and may not be prepared to telework. If a worksite will be closed for an extended, but still temporary, emergency closure, supervisors should contact HR about converting employees to a period of Episodic Telework.
While the University never closes, sometimes the physical campus will close due to inclement weather for the safety of our entire UMB community. In the event of a campus closure:
If you have questions about your specific responsibilities or circumstances, please communicate with your instructor about whether to come to campus or if you need alternative accommodations due to weather conditions in your local area.
During a closure of on-campus operations, UMB essential employees, students, and UMMC and FPI parkers MUST use one of the 24-hour garages (Pratt Street, Plaza, Baltimore Grand, and Lexington garages) or Penn garage, which will remain open during an emergency closure.
For more details, visit the UMB Parking and Transportation website.
While the University never closes, sometimes the physical campus will close due to inclement weather for the safety of our entire UMB community.
Per the UMB Policy on Emergency Conditions, on-campus experiential learning (such as clinicals) and research are also subject to a UMB closure. If you have questions about your specific responsibilities or circumstances located on-campus or off-campus, please communicate with your immediate supervisor or instructor about whether to come to campus, your experiential learning site, or if you need alternative accommodations due to weather conditions in your local area.
As a reminder, UMB closings DO NOT APPLY to either UMMC campus or FPI employees. FPI employees should contact their supervisors.
When UMB announces an on-campus closure due to inclement weather, the dental clinic will also close.
Specific information about dental clinic operations can be found:
While the Western Penn Women's Center, located at 120 Penn St., is on UMB's campus, it is operated by the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians, Inc. and the University of Maryland Medical Center. UMB closures and delays do not directly impact the Women's Center's operations.
If you have questions about if inclement weather is impacting the Women's Center hours, call 667-214-1300.
For the safety of our UMB community, only emergency essential operations should occur on campus during a delay. Non-essential on-campus activities may only begin after the scheduled delay.
To repeat, on-campus activities that are not deemed essential should not begin before the campus opens. If you have questions about your specific responsibilities or circumstances, please communicate with your immediate supervisor or instructor about whether to come to campus or if you need alternative accommodations due to weather conditions in your local area.
In the event of a campus delay:
If students have questions about their specific responsibilities or circumstances located on campus or off campus, please communicate with your immediate supervisor or instructor about whether to come to campus, your experiential learning site, or if you need alternative accommodations due to weather conditions in your local area.
As a reminder, UMB delays DO NOT APPLY to either UMMC campus or FPI employees. FPI employees should contact their supervisors.
When UMB announces an on-campus delay due to inclement weather, the dental clinic hours may differ from the University's guidance.
Specific information about dental clinic operations can be found:
While the Western Penn Women's Center, located at 120 Penn St., is on UMB's campus, it is operated by the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians, Inc. and the University of Maryland Medical Center. UMB closures and delays do not directly impact the Women's Center's operations.
If you have questions about if inclement weather is impacting the Women's Center hours, call 667-214-1300.
Liberal leave occurs when UMB decides to announce the option for employees who are not designated as essential to come into work or take leave. The absence of an employee choosing not to come to work will be charged to their available paid or unpaid leave. Employees must follow departmental procedures for notification of the decision to use liberal leave.
Liberal leave applies only to employees who are NOT designated as essential. Liberal leave does not apply to students.
If you have questions about your specific responsibilities or circumstances, please communicate with your immediate supervisor or instructor about whether to come to campus or if you need alternative accommodations due to weather conditions in your local area.
Nonessential employees may elect to work or take accrued annual, holiday, personal, compensatory leave, or leave without pay.
When special circumstances arise, the President (or designee) may authorize leave with pay separate from the standard leave banks. Such leave may be granted to all regular nonessential employees when circumstances such as extreme weather conditions require the closing of campus.
Administrative leave is intended to replace the hours employees would have been at work, had the University not closed, had a delayed opening, or early dismissal. If employees would not have been working during the hours the University was closed, they are not eligible for administrative leave.
If an employee was previously scheduled to take the day off, the day is to be taken using the accrued leave originally approved. No administrative leave is granted.
If an employee left earlier than the University closure time, they must use available paid leave or unpaid leave to supplement the time prior to the closure. Administrative leave may be used based on the University closure time.
When UMB announces that liberal leave is in effect, the dental clinic hours may differ from the University's guidance.
Specific information about dental clinic operations can be found:
UMB parking garages will maintain normal operating hours, but UMB essential employees, and UMMC and FPI parkers, MUST use one of the 24 hour garages (Pratt Street, Plaza, Baltimore Grand, and Lexington garages) or Penn garage, which will remain open during an emergency closure, to avoid further disruption if the situation changes.
For more details, visit the UMB Parking and Transportation website.
When UMB announces an on-campus early closure due to inclement weather, the dental clinic hours may differ from the University's guidance.
Specific information about dental clinic operations can be found:
While the Western Penn Women's Center, located at 120 Penn St., is on UMB's campus, it is operated by the University of Maryland Faculty Physicians, Inc. and the University of Maryland Medical Center. UMB closures and delays do not directly impact the Women's Center's operations.
If you have questions about if inclement weather is impacting the Women's Center hours, call 667-214-1300.
The University of Maryland, Baltimore (UMB) Emergency Management Team works with UMB leadership to make a decision about a change in campus operations by 5 a.m. whenever possible. In the event of a closure, delay, or liberal leave, information about a change to on-campus operations will be sent via UMB Alerts, posted on the UMB Alerts webpage, UMB social media accounts, and the UMB Emergency Information Hotline (410-706-8622).
UMB campus operations will continue as normal unless otherwise indicated. Notifications will only be made in the event of a change to on-campus operations. Even if there is inclement weather, UMB will not notify campus or post an announcement if there is no change to campus operations.
The safety of employees and students is our number one priority. If you have questions about your specific responsibilities or circumstances, please communicate with your immediate supervisor or instructor about whether to come to campus or if you need alternative accommodations due to weather conditions in your local area.
If you are covered under a labor union, the terms of your Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) will take precedence over these guidelines in the event of a conflict, except as otherwise permitted by law. If you have additional questions, please reach out to the Employee and Labor Relations team at HRELR@umaryland.edu or 410-706-7302.
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