If, due to inclement weather or any emergency situation, classes at MICA are cancelled, ending early, or starting late, and/or if administrative offices are closed or opening late, every effort will be made to post an official Campus Status Notice via the Emergency Notification System (ENS) by 6 a.m. for daytime classes, events, and administrative offices; and by 3 p.m. for evening classes and evening events.

No ENS message will be posted/sent if the College is operating on its usual schedule-if there is no message, you should assume that MICA is opening on schedule. There may be different "campus status" for day classes, evening classes, and weekend classes; for administrative offices; for off-campus sites; and for specific events/activities. Please read/listen to the official Campus Status Notice carefully to see how it applies to you.

Please do not call Campus Safety or other MICA offices during a weather event to ask about the status of classes and campus opening-instead, check the "Official Information Sources" that form the core of MICA's Emergency Notification System:

• MICA homepage* at www.mica.edu
• the main campus telephone number: 410-669-9200 (recorded message)
• bulk e-mail* sent to degree-program students, all faculty, and all staff at their MICA e-mail addresses

*If a power outage makes Web or bulk e-mail unavailable, bulk voice mail to on-campus telephones may be used to alert the campus community to a change in campus status; in some cases, the College may also post printed messages on campus or distribute them for faculty to announce in classes.

 

[NOTE: The MICA Alert text message system will NOT be used to report on routine campus closures or late openings due to inclement weather. That system is used only when there is an immediate threat to life/safety on the MICA Campus. If you haven't signed up for MICA Alert, you can do so at anytime by logging on to the Portal and selecting "Personal Information."]

Open Studies and Young People's Studio class/event status can ALSO be found:

• as the message on the main CS telephone number: 410-225-2219

Status of Campus Events during a Severe Weather Event or Other Emergency

• Whenever the Official Campus Status Notice states, "MICA is Closed," all events & activities on campus scheduled for the time when MICA is closed are canceled/postponed.
• If MICA is open, the status of an event is not clear, the event organizer should be contacted directly (event organizers should include contact information in the event description on the MICA calendar)
• If possible and appropriate, the status of events will be included in the Official Campus Status Notice; please note that MICA does not always have information about the status of non-MICA events on our campus

Local TV and radio stations will be informed of MICA's campus status, but there is no way to guarantee the accuracy or completeness of TV/media reports. Changing weather conditions may require updates at any time due to deteriorating conditions, so it's best to check the Official Information Sources regularly. Updates on the status of campus shuttles and other services will be sent by bulk e-mail as needed to students, faculty, and staff by the Shuttle Coordinator.

ENS Campus Status Vocabulary

Official Campus Status Notices will list the College's operational status on a range from "Open" to "Closed":

If no notice is posted/sent, or if a Campus Status Notice states, "MICA IS OPEN," the College will open on time, classes will run on schedule, and all faculty, students, and staff are expected to report on their normal schedule. Some events may be canceled or postponed even if classes and offices are on schedule; event organizers are responsible for providing information about event status.

"MICA WILL OPEN AT [time]" - normal operations and classes will resume at the time indicated, but until then there will be no access to campus, except by essential personnel (applies only to staff-see below).

"CLASSES ARE CANCELLED" - classes will not run; some or all offices may be open, although services may be limited; essential personnel must report (applies only to staff-see below); studios, labs, and work areas may be available, but access should not be expected. Shuttle services and academic trips are suspended when classes are canceled.

 "MICA WILL CLOSE AT [time]" or "MICA IS CLOSED" - classes are canceled and administrative offices closed at the times indicated; campus buildings are closed, with no access to studios, labs, or work areas; shuttle service is suspended, and all trips and events are cancelled or postponed. Please do not come to campus if "MICA is closed."

"LIBERAL LEAVE IS IN EFFECT" applies only to staff-not to students or faculty. Staff should consult the staff handbook for detail on this message. Click here for more info.

"Required Personnel" applies ONLY to staff-not to faculty or students. Status as "required personnel" is indicated on the job description and communicated to individual staff members by their supervisors (required personnel are generally staff members whose job provides essential services for the campus community, or who keep the campus safe and address facilities management issues).  Having to provide assistance to non-required personnel, students, and faculty who come to campus at these times only makes more difficult, the already tough jobs of those who must keep the campus safe and secure during an emergency.