This picture was taken in Friendship Circle on Dec. 8, 2017 when winter weather caused the university to close and commencement to be pushed back the following day. The Spring 2018 semester then began with the university closing for two days due is icy conditions as well. File Photo/The Lion's Roar
Uncharacteristic wintry weather caused the university to close for two days at the start of the semester, leading to changes to the academic calendar.
“Accommodations for the lost class time were determined after extensive conversations with the academic deans,” said University Provost Tena Golding.
According to Golding, other than the start of the Spring 2018 semester, only Term I classes are affected.
“Yes, the spring calendar has been adjusted to reflect the changes made to the first day of class, now Jan. 19, drop/add period, now Jan. 19-23 and fee payment deadline, now Jan. 24,” said Golding. “The only other change to the calendar applies to Term I classes. The Term I classes’ end date has been changed from Mar. 7 to Mar. 8, and the Term I classes’ final examinations’ Tuesday, Thursday schedule date has been changed from Mar. 8 to Mar. 13.”
However, Golding said that actions have already been taken in response to this.
“Term I classes lost two days, but only one class meeting was lost by Monday, Wednesday classes and Tuesday, Thursday classes,” said Golding. “By adding the ‘dead’ day between Term I and Term II to the Term I session, we were able to recapture one of the two classes missed in Term I resulting in one missed day for all classes.”
The wintry weather being at the very start of the semester allowed for an easy transition.
“As classes had not yet started, many faculty have already made adjustments to their semester schedule for the missed class time,” said Golding. “Others will be using Moodle activities/assignments or a method consistent with their course format and teaching style to ensure the student learning outcomes for each class can be met.”
Golding explained that the university already has plans in place for situations like this.
“In conjunction with its Emergency Management Plan, Southeastern has a Continuity of Operations Plan to help ensure campus units can resume critical operations in a timely manner following a closure,” said Golding. “The actual response would depend on a number of factors including reason for the close, number of days missed and impact on available resources.”
According to Golding University President Dr. John L. Crain makes the final decision of whether to close the school after consulting the vice president and other faculty members.
“In weather-related closures, information is gathered from a variety of sources including Louisiana State Police, area school systems, i.e., superintendents, state and local government, state and local departments of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and local weather authorities,” said Golding. “Any decision to close campus comes after much care and consideration.”
Due to the closure of the university, changes have also been made to Winter Welcome Week events starting on Jan. 23 and ending on Jan. 29.
The first event, “Cookie Crawl” will be held on Tuesday, Jan. 23 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Student Union breezeway.
“Coffee with the Rec!” will be hosted by the Recreational Sports and Wellness staff on Wednesday, Jan. 23 and Thursday, Jan. 24 from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in the overflow parking lot by the University Center and in Zone 5/6 commuter parking.
“Enrollment Services Express Ribbon Cutting” will also be held on main campus Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 11:30 a.m.
“Welcome Back Tailgate and Pack the House-Cane’s Challenge Women’s Basketball Game” is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 6:30 p.m. before the Lady Lions basketball game. The game starts at 7 p.m. as the Lady Lions will take on Sam Houston State University.
Spoken Word Poet Rudy Francisco will come on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Theater.
The University Police Department and the University Counseling Center are sponsoring “Blue and You: Hot Dog, You’re Back!” on Thursday, Jan. 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Pride Hall.
“Silent Disco” is being held on Thursday, Jan. 25 from 7 p.m. until 10 p.m. in the War Memorial Student Union Ballroom.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. March and Remembrance Program will be held on Monday, Jan. 29 at 5:30 p.m. at the Pennington Student Activity Center.
Interim Director for Student Engagement Angela James thinks that by having Winter Welcome Week students will have a great start into the spring semester.
“This really gives us a unique way to welcome our students back for the semester,” said James. “We wanted to do that in a way that was fun and engaging.”