BU campus re-opens after winter storm

Brandon dodged the worst impacts of the blizzard, but this morning still saw high winds, challenging road conditions, difficult or impassable sidewalks with blown-in drifts, and a closed Trans-Canada Highway. We are thankful that we made the prudent choice yesterday to close campus yesterday evening and this morning.

With conditions expect to continue improving through the morning, the Brandon University campus will re-open for noon today, as planned. (Students, staff, and faculty at the Winnipeg campus will follow the status of the University of Winnipeg.)

This afternoon’s exams will begin at 2 p.m., as scheduled. As previously messaged, affected exams from yesterday evening and this morning will now be written at new times:

• If you were scheduled to write an exam yesterday evening — Wednesday evening exams will now be held Thursday evening (that’s tonight!) in the same location, at the same start time (7 p.m.)
• If you were scheduled to write an exam this morning — Thursday morning exams will now be held Friday afternoon (tomorrow), in the same location, starting at 2 p.m.
• An updated exam schedule has been posted.
• If this has put you into a conflict with any of your exams, please reach out to Registrar@BrandonU.ca.

If you are in a situation where you cannot reasonably attend an exam without undue hardship (for example due to closed highways, lack of childcare and closed schools, etc.), you should reach out to your instructor as soon as possible to request a deferred exam (and provide clear explanation of your situation). Specific information on exam attendance and deferred exams is in sections 4.1.3 and 4.1.8 of the University Testing & Examinations Policy.

A reminder that parking lots were cleared this morning in priority order to support this afternoon’s exam locations and parking in all lots will be free to reduce stress on snowy city streets.

As always, please ensure that you stay safe no matter the weather. Wear warm winter clothing, check the forecasts and highway conditions, and allow extra travel time. 

A big thank you to everyone who worked hard yesterday, overnight, and this morning to support our community and to ensure that safe access to campus was restored as swiftly as possible.

Earlier:

Environment Canada has issued an Orange Warning for a Blizzard later Wednesday afternoon and overnight, forecasting heavy snow and strong, gusty winds, as well as the possibility of freezing rain. They advise travel will become dangerous and likely impossible due to near-zero visibility. Utility outages are also possible.

For your safety, Brandon University will be closed as of 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 17, and will remain closed Thursday morning, Dec. 18. 

We plan to re-open at 12 noon on Thursday, Dec. 18. We will re-assess conditions that morning, including progress in making campus safe and accessible, and we will re-confirm opening plans no later than 10 a.m. Thursday. 

We know this is already a busy and stressful time. We are doing what we can to minimize impact on exams and other operations. 

Exams:

• Wednesday evening exams will be shifted to Thursday evening. They will happen at the same time (7 p.m. start) in the same location.
• Thursday morning exams will be shifted to Friday afternoon. They will start at 2 p.m. in the same location.
• An updated exam schedule will be posted as soon as possible.
• If this puts you into a conflict with any of your exams, please reach out to Registrar@BrandonU.ca.

Operations:

• Brandon University campus will close at 6 p.m. today (Wednesday, Dec. 17), including the Library and the Healthy Living Centre.
• Those in Residence will be supported — details will be shared directly with you.
• Parking lots will be cleared tomorrow morning in priority order to support exam locations and parking in all lots will be free to reduce stress on city streets.
• Brandon University will re-open at 12 noon tomorrow (Thursday, Dec. 18) and this will be re-confirmed tomorrow morning before 10 a.m.
• Impacts to Winnipeg campus, if any, will be communicated separately.

Any updates to this closure will be sent first to your Brandon University email, posted on our website and social media accounts, and shared widely with local news outlets. An alert may also be sent through the BU Ready safety app.

As always, please ensure that you stay safe no matter the weather. Wear warm winter clothing, check the forecasts and highway conditions, and allow extra travel time. Thank you to all of those who will work hard over the next two days to ensure that our campus weathers this blizzard, that our community is supported, and that campus will be safe and ready to open as soon as possible.

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