Although winter doesn’t technically begin until Dec. 21, winter weather is already upon us, which makes it a good time for members of the University of Iowa community to get reacquainted with severe weather policies and make sure their Hawk Alert contact information is current.

Whenever possible, the university continues to function during inclement weather. As long as faculty, staff, and students are able to travel safely to and from campus, regularly scheduled classes will continue to meet and employees are expected to report for work. (View the university’s Extreme Weather Protocol here.)

If classes are canceled, the university will issue a Hawk Alert via phone, text, email, and posts to the UI homepage, the UI Emergency Information website, and the UI's Facebook and Twitter accounts.

The success of Hawk Alert notifications, however, depends on up-to-date contact information. Review and update that information in the University Enterprise Directory via ISIS (for students) or Employee Self Service.

Keep in mind that Hawk Alert notifications are intended for members of the campus community, not family and friends, so contact information should be limited to personal phone numbers, email addresses, etc.

Here’s some other helpful winter weather information:

• Consider taking the bus when the weather turns bad. Bongo, the UI’s GPS-based, real-time passenger information system, tells you when a bus from the Coralville, Iowa City, or university transit systems will reach a route so you don’t have to stand in the cold longer than necessary. Click here for more information.
• Crews begin shoveling snow at 5 a.m. with the goal of having most of the snow cleared from campus streets, sidewalks, steps, and other areas (including the UI Research Park) by 7:30 a.m. Plows head onto campus from the Madison Street shop and move outward through their routes.
• The UI Parking and Transportation Department offers free jump-start service for employees, students, and visitors parked on the UI's main campus. The service is offered on an as-available basis from 7:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. The service is not offered on university holidays. To request service, call 319-335-8312.

View more winter weather information on the UI Emergency Information site. Click here to view the City of Iowa City’s information and procedures for snow emergencies.