Dear UT community,

The University of Texas at Austin will resume classes and normal campus operations Friday, Feb. 3, at 6 a.m. This decision was made in consultation with Deans and the Provost, and we will resume operations with the highest degree of flexibility while continuing to recover from this winter storm. Employees should continue to work remotely where possible.

Extensive power and Internet outages remain across the Austin area that will prevent many of you from fully engaging in your work or studies. As we may be in recovery mode for days, we will do the best we can as a community to balance our teaching and research obligations with personal needs.

I have spent quite a bit of time on campus during the past two days and want to give a shout-out and say thank you to our many dedicated employees who have removed truckloads of debris, kept our students safe and fed, kept our facilities operating smoothly, and kept Gregory Gym open late for off-campus community members who lost power and heat.

Although classes will resume, not every class will be possible and assignment deadlines will be postponed.

Faculty who are unable to deliver instruction in person or asynchronously should cancel their classes scheduled for Friday, Feb. 3. Faculty will be given grace for canceling classes for any reason but must notify their students by 8 p.m. this evening.

  • Faculty who decide to teach must record the lecture so that students can participate asynchronously.
    • Attendance cannot be required.
    • Tests must be postponed.
    • Deadlines for assignments must be postponed – this applies to all assignments that were originally due while the university has been closed (Tuesday to Friday this week).
  • Staff essential to the research and teaching missions will be asked to report to campus according to normal schedules.

Faculty members are responsible for adjusting their syllabi and providing alternate means of presenting missed material to accommodate canceled classes and labs as necessary. Please keep students informed of any syllabus changes and how material will be affected by storm recovery.

Employees who are unable to work due to storm-related circumstances, including loss of power and child or dependent care responsibilities, are not expected to work Friday. Leave-eligible employees unable to work will continue to be eligible for emergency leave. The university continues to ask supervisors to be flexible with staff members who are unable to work due to storm-related circumstances.

Core essential staff members will continue to report to work on campus for regularly scheduled shifts.

  • If your position is identified as essential and you are required to perform your work on campus, you will need to report for your shift. Essential positions are determined at the college or business unit level and are vital to the business continuity of university operations (e.g., life/safety positions; positions responsible for the security of buildings, data, or property, etc.). Please direct any questions about essential functions to your immediate supervisor.
  • If you are identified as essential and unable to report to campus due to extenuating storm-related circumstances, such as childcare issues, please contact your supervisor as soon as possible.

University supervisors will receive timekeeping information to account for the flexibility we are providing.

Friday’s operational status applies to UT facilities in Austin including the J.J. Pickle Research Campus. However, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center will remain closed. Updates specific to campus operations will continue to be available through local media, the university’s Facebook page and Twitter feed, the UT Austin emergency webpage, and by calling the university’s emergency information number, 512-232-9999. For more information, visit http://emergency.utexas.edu.

Finally, thank you for your patience and flexibility as we have navigated the challenges from this storm. Remember that Longhorns take care of Longhorns, so take care of yourselves and your families and I look forward to seeing you back on the Forty Acres and elsewhere soon.

Stay safe and warm,

Jay