Responding to classroom emergencies

Owned by Denise Kidd
Last updated: Dec 20, 2022
3 min read

 

Overview

There are instances when a general pool classroom or a building with general pool needs to come offline immediately (this can be a security situation, an infrastructure issue, like a leak or damage, etc.). In these instances, Campus Services, Facility Services or TUPD/Allied Security will reach out to the Office of the Registrar ASAP to notify them of the situation. In almost all cases, classes and events in the room, or classes/events in the building need to be notified of the situation, and instructed to either relocate their class temporarily or cancel their classes/move them online and events be cancelled/relocated (if possible). 

Determine the scope

First, get as much information as you can from Campus Services, Facility Services, TUPD/Allied. What is the extent of the damage? How long will the repairs take? How long will the room be offline for? Has the damage in this space impacted any surrounding spaces? 

Contact instructors

Next, once the scope of the issue has been determined, a plan needs to be determined for communicating with instructors who are assigned to the space that has been impacted. Communicating with instructors of academic classes always takes priority over communicating with event bookings.

Single classrooms

If a single classroom is impacted, it is best to try and temporarily relocate the classes/events to other available general pool classrooms. Use EMS to temporarily book an ‘event’ to reserve an alternate location for the instructors impacted.

If no general pool rooms are available, reach out to other campus partners to see if alternate/department owned spaces might be temporarily available (Jennifer Thelen/Pam Palmer in event services, Lory Arnold in the Newcomb Institute, Art dept, Business School, LBC, etc.).

  • Book temporarily classroom spaces before you notify impacted faculty.

  • Events can be relocated and a follow-up email sent to the event requestor directly through EMS to notify them of the change in location. 

Building or floor

If the damage/impacted space is wider in scope and an entire building or floor of a building needs to be taken offline, depending on the semester, there might not be sufficient general pool classroom availability to relocate the impacted sections.

  • In this case, email the instructors impacted to notify them to cancel their classes for the time being (if a short-term solution is possible) or to move their classes online.

  • Additionally offer them the option to respond to our communication if they have any exams or course-critical presentations, etc. taking place that week and we can try and find alternate spaces for these classes).  

Identifying and emailing instructors

A list of instructors impacted can be pulled two ways: Manually via EMS, or via an active sections report from Cognos.

  • In either case, make sure you are emailing all instructors assigned to the sections that will be impacted.

  • Also on the communication, copy TUP/Allied Security, Facilities (Guido Salvatierra and William Ramirez), Campus Services (Amber Beezly) and IT (Mike Griffith and Nola Powell), Colette Raphel, and any departments/dean’s offices that might be impacted (for an issue in NH for example, copy Lauren Adams from SLA dean’s office, for Boggs, copy Jarmel McGill in SSE Dean’s office).  

The communication to instructors should be sent quickly and should be short and concise (example).

  • Make sure the subject line is drafted in a way to grab their attention so they actually read it: *ATTENTION REQUIRED* or *URGENT*.

  • Provide a quick summary of the issue and how it impacts their classes, then tell them exactly what they need to do and for how long these changes will be in place (dates and times that their class cannot use their regularly assigned room, when you will be able to provide a follow-up email, that the instructor needs to email their currently enrolled students to notify them of the situation and the plan for their section). 

Identify and adjust event bookings

Once academic classes have been dealt with, then check the space for event bookings and work to either cancel them and communicate with the requestor, or change their room booked for their event (and then communicate with the requestor).

If the space will be offline for more than a few days, temporarily remove these spaces from the VEMS portal so additional event requests for the space are not made. 

Resolution

Facility Services, Campus Services and TUPD/Allied Security will stay in communication throughout the situation and should be reached out to regularly to get updates on the situation and when the issue has been resolved.