In general, the College will stay open as long as it is safe to do so.  It is the College’s intent to transition to its remote operations when inclement weather is in the forecast for the Chattanooga metropolitan area and service counties.  We stress the importance of safety during times of inclement weather.  If employees and students determine that it is not safe for them to travel while the College is open, please do not travel.

Engagement & Instruction Delivery

In the event of inclement weather or other situations when the campus is unsafe or inaccessible to populate, the following procedures will apply:

1. Faculty members (fulltime, adjunct, and TCAT) shall continue to engage in regularly scheduled classroom activities in an online delivery format, if possible.
   • Faculty members should make accommodations for students whose limited access to technology makes it difficult to participate in regularly scheduled classes.
   • Faculty members whose classes are campus-based (TCAT, clinical hours, etc.) should make accommodations to ensure students are able to resume regularly scheduled campus-based work when campus returns to normal operations.
   • Faculty members who are unable to administer regularly scheduled classroom meetings (on campus or synchronous) due to a loss of technology, internet access, or other inclement weather-related issues are expected to deliver any missed course material to students to ensure they can fulfill all course expectations. 
2. Telecommuters (regular full-time and regular part-time employees working from an alternative worksite on average of three or more days per week) shall engage in regular duties and are expected to continue their work when the central workplace is unavailable due to prohibited access or delay.  
   • Telecommuters who elect not to perform their job duties during inclement weather will be required to take annual leave. 
3. Campus employees (regular full-time and regular part-time employees) shall perform their regularly scheduled duties in an Alternative Work Arrangement (AWA) using college-provided technology and equipment or personal technology and equipment. 
   • Campus employees engaged in AWA who elect not to perform their job duties during inclement weather will be required to take annual leave. 
4. Campus-based employees whose duties are wholly or mostly performed on campus (e.g. custodial staff, plant ops, etc.) will not be required to establish an AWA or work on campus if determined to be non-essential during prohibited campus access. 
5. Telecommuters and campus employees engaged in AWA, who cannot perform their job duties due to weather or other extenuating circumstances (power outage, loss of internet, etc.), can be considered for an exemption from AWA requirements by department leaders on an individual basis.
6. Students unable to attend class must reach out to their instructors as soon as feasible to arrange make up work and they are encouraged to check their eLearn class websites for additional messages from their instructors.

In the event of inclement weather, the College will notify radio and television stations if the College will transition to remote operations or delay its opening.   In addition, this information is posted on the College Website, College Facebook page, and College Twitter feed. In addition, TigerAlert messages are sent to faculty, employee and student cellphones via a text (only those that are signed up for TigerAlerts) and to faculty, employee and student emails - Due to the expectation of inclement weather, College operations, employees, and students will function in remote status between [time and date].  Access to the campus will be prohibited to the public during this time. Updates will be provided if necessary. Unless otherwise stated, any move to remote operation or delay applies to all College locations.

Sometimes, weather will delay the opening of College but not close the College. In those instances, announcements and alerts will go out that the College will open at a specific time.  Campus access is available 30 minutes prior to the stated opening time to faculty, employees and students.  For example, if the College announce a 10:00 a.m. opening, faculty, employees and students can begin arriving at 9:30 a.m. to prepare for classes meeting and offices opening at 10:00 a.m.  Faculty and students should report to the class that coincide with the scheduled opening/start time.

TigerAlert

The College uses the TigerAlert system to notify employees and students via email and/or text messaging concerning weather alerts, College closings and delays, and incident alerts.

How Do I Sign-up to Receive TigerAlerts?

All employees and students are enrolled to receive email alerts through Chattanooga State emails. All employees are enrolled to receive text alerts when they provide their cellphone information during the hiring process. All students are enrolled to receive text alerts when they provide their cellphone information during the admissions process and then updated upon registering for classes. To change the status of your enrollment, log into TigerWeb and click on the tiger image in the middle of the page to access your account or click on the link below the tiger image for instructions on how to change your status. Visit the TigerAlert Student Tech Support page for detailed instructions.

What kinds of messages will I receive?

You will only receive emergency notifications through this system. Those notifications will include weather alerts, College closings and delays, and incident alerts.

Can members of the public opt in to receive text or email alerts?

No. The text and email alert system is only for employees and students at Chattanooga State. However, you may add to your account, two additional cell phone numbers and emails. Emergency notifications will be posted on Chattanooga State’s social media accounts and on the College website. The community can continue to stay up to date on everything happening at Chattanooga State by visiting those sources.

Can I opt out of receiving text alerts?

Yes. Employees and students may log into their alert account by logging into TigerWeb and then clicking on the tiger image in the middle of the page. Because the College uses text alerts to notify employees and students of emergencies, the College strongly recommends not opting out.

How often will the alert system update with new employee and student information?

The system updates every night with new employee and student data.

Questions?

For more information or for help, please visit Tigerpedia.