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College closure procedures

Severe weather, utility outages, college or area emergencies may cause a closure or delayed opening of one or more of our PCC locations. Such situations can be difficult to predict in advance, and difficult to communicate accurately. Identifying potential or real impacts to PCC and our community can also be challenging. These challenges can mean even with the best intentions of local media, occasionally college status information might be reported not as accurately as needed, potentially creating confusion among students, staff, and the public. To lessen uncertainty and improve college status awareness, we use and share multiple approaches to communicate closure and delayed opening information.

What we value

• We value students receiving their educational experience as predictably as possible.
• We value our students, staff and the public having a safe physical environment when 91����, and in traveling to and from PCC.

General policy approach

• In all cases, our decision-making will be guided by the values above.
• When weather-related closure is warranted, we will tend toward closure of all college locations except when the situation or forecasts are clear that only isolated locations are affected.
• Infrastructure-related outages (i.e., power failures) may tend to impact only a specific location or building. Therefore, we will tend toward closure of individual facilities if site-specific circumstances dictate.
• All efforts reasonable for the situation will be made to involve campus or center leadership in both condition assessments and recommendations.
• We encourage staff and students to subscribe to our primary notification service, PCC Alerts. This free service sends emergency notifications to subscribers via email or cell phone text message.

Implementation guidelines

• The College Activation Team will assess levels of potential or real impact posed by weather or other conditions and may recommend a “closure alert”. To the maximum extent possible, their recommendation will be based on survey of conditions present or forecasted.
• The College Activation Team will make closure or delayed opening recommendations to the Associate Vice President, College Operations.
• The Associate Vice President, College Operations, will review the recommendations with the President. The Associate Vice President, College Operations, will action the decision.
• When possible, a decision to close or delay opening will be made by or before 5am for the upcoming “start of day”, and by 3pm for late afternoon/evening programs and classes.
• The College Marketing and Communications team or designee, will post closure information to the PCC website, MyPCC, and PCC Alerts. Closure decisions will also be shared by email with students, staff and faculty. , the single point of contact service used by local media, will also be notified of closure or delayed opening information so media can report updates.

• Closure of one location or of the college district-wide, means the college locations, as the case may be, is locked, physical programs or classes will not be held, and only management-designated Essential Personnel are permitted on college property. Employees should consult their supervisor with any questions about working during a closure period.

In the case of a mid-day closure

• When a decision to close mid-day is made, the closure time will be stated. Prompt departure from the college to protect student, faculty, and staff safety is needed in order to minimize a likely worsening situation, such as the threat of ice or snow.
• Public Safety and Facilities Management Services employees designated as Essential Personnel, will remain on-site until authorized to leave by their supervisor. They will as soon as possible, support notification to faculty and staff by “walk-around,” progressively securing all college facilities and assisting personnel to depart the college.
• The objective is to assure all students, faculty, and staff (except Essential Personnel, as designated in advance by management in accordance with college closure procedures), have left PCC no later than the stated closure time.
• Public Safety will ensure all individuals leave safely and buildings are locked and secured.
• Executive Officers will set up and action “notification trees” for their respective organizations to ensure staff members have accurate and current information.
• “Closure” means buildings are locked and alarmed, and (where installed) access gates to college property are locked.
• It is expected faculty/staff who are on-site at the time of a mid-day closure will provide assistance if/as needed. To plan ahead if assistance may be needed:
  1. Students can contact Accessible Ed & Disability Resources at aedr@pcc.edu or by calling 971-722-4341
  2. Employees can talk with their manager or contact the Senior ADA & Accessibility Partner at adacoordinator@pcc.edu
• If the weather or situation allows, Shuttle Drivers will make one additional scheduled run after the announced closure time. If the additional run cannot be completed, Shuttle Drivers can provide TriMet passes to shuttle users.

In the case of a delayed opening

• In the case of a delayed opening, gates to the campus or center will open 1 hour (60 minutes) prior to the announced opening time. If, for example, we delay opening until 10am, gates will open 1 hour (60 minutes) earlier, which is 9am.
  • A delayed opening impacts everyone, and services like the Panther Pantry, Library or Bookstore rely upon personnel who must also navigate the delayed opening. Please be aware services may need more time to open after the gates and after the location opens.
  • Example: Sylvania Campus announces its location will open at 10am. This means Sylvania gates will open at 9am. If for example, Library personnel cannot arrive until 10:30am to open the Library, the Library hours would be different from the announced delayed opening.
• Shuttle services will begin 1 hour (60 minutes) prior to the announced opening time.
• In the case of a delayed opening, if a class has more than 1.5 hours (90 minutes) remaining at the time of the campus or center opening, the class will still meet.

• Example: A lab is normally scheduled from 9am-11:50am, and the delayed open is announced for 10am. The instructor will adjust and hold lab from 10am-11:50am, saving nearly 2 of the 3 hours of the scheduled lab.

• Example: A 4-hour Saturday physics class normally meets 11am-2:50pm, and the delayed opening is at 12pm, noon. The instructor will adjust and hold class from 12pm-2:50pm, saving nearly 3 of the 4 hours of the scheduled class.

Information resources

The following are media sources that may provide closure information.

Continuous improvement

This page’s guidance is a work of continuous improvement as we together find better ways to communicate and share information in difficult or emergent situations. If you have a suggestion, please email prepare@pcc.edu.