Weather Update

If a Tufts University campus closes due to snow, it will be announced via the following channels. These are the only official sources of a snow-related closing announcement.

If necessary, any additional details about the status of Cummings School and its hospitals and clinics will be posted on this page.

Visit the Tufts Announcements website for further weather-related updates

• By web at the Tufts University homepage
• By email via a message from CampusClosings@tufts.edu
• By X via @TuftsUniversity
• By phone by calling 508-839-6124 for the Grafton campus
• For information about preparing for winter storms, please visit Tufts' Public Safety website

General Guidelines for Severe Weather, including Snow Days:

Cummings School Severe Weather Guidelines

Our weather updates focus on snowstorms in general. Because Cummings School has a number of campuses, weather responses may differ. (Note:  the following pertains to Grafton campus and Tufts at Tech only. The Woodstock campus will make its own decision.)

We will send email notices (Grafton, D.V.M. students, and graduate student e-lists) regarding weather events, post notices to this Weather Update page, and issue a phone message that can be reached by calling 508-839-6124.

Some people come from areas distant from the Grafton campus. If your local conditions prevent you from coming to campus, notify your supervisor and/or course or rotation director.

Please note that there may be full-day campus closures, delayed openings, and early closings. When possible, we will align partial-day campus closures with major shift changes on campus. Like last year, we will have campus and/or hospital (FHSA/HLA) closures; however, given the new remote and hybrid work environment, a campus closure does not necessarily mean a school closure – many activities will continue, including lecture classes.

When the campus or hospitals are closed, only essential workers report on-site.  If you are unsure whether you are considered essential, please consult with your supervisor.

The library will be closed whenever there is pre-emptive cancellation of lectures or a campus closure.

If you are home during campus and/or hospital closure (whether you are routinely working remotely or hybrid, or only home because you are non-essential), you are expected to continue to work because school activities will continue. We recognize that under some circumstances (e.g., power outages, childcare) individuals may not be able to work during campus closures. If your routine work cannot be done from home because of the nature of work, please take the opportunity to engage in continuing education or professional development activities, or any of the many other work-related activities we don’t find time to accomplish during our regular days.

Campus Closure Levels

Here are the different levels of campus closures that may be announced. We will try to be proactive in calling closures, but often they will be made early on the day of the snowstorm.

• Pre-emptive Suspension of Live Lectures: The Dean, in consultation with the Associate Deans for Professional Education and Graduate Education, will provide early notification of anticipated severe weather (ideally at least 24 h) and pre-emptively cancel in-person lectures so that faculty and staff can upload materials to Canvas ahead of time, reschedule classes if indicated, and prepare for a probable closure. Laboratory or hands-on sessions and exams will not be preemptively cancelled. When there is pre-emptive suspension of live lectures, the library will also be closed for that day. The campus, however, remains open unless a notice is made otherwise.
  
  Campus Closure: All laboratory or hands-on sessions are cancelled if the campus is closed. These cancellations will typically occur only when campus closure decisions are made, given the difficulty in rescheduling. We will try to communicate an anticipated cancellation and the time the final decision will be taken in advance. When severe weather is anticipated, the decision may be made up to 24 hours in advance. If the campus closes, all labs in the DVM and graduate programs are cancelled and must be rescheduled. Where possible, delayed openings or early releases will be used to allow as many hands-on sessions to occur as possible. On campus closure days, all exams are cancelled and will be rescheduled.
  
  Clinical rotations: The current hospital and rotation protocols for snow days should be followed. Although attendance is required for rotations under normal circumstances, absences can be approved by rotation directors if students are concerned about endangering themselves by traveling to the clinical site. Students on rotation at Tufts Veterinary Field Service and Tufts at
  Tech should contact their rotation director for guidance if it is not posted on the School website or phone message. If students are unable to travel from your location to participate in your
  rotation, please consult the Clinical Year Absence Policy. Students should submit the absence webform and plan to use of their personal days.
  
  Off-campus electives, courses, or events: Students, staff, and faculty must exercise their own judgment and follow the local guidance. This also applies to events on the Medford/Boston campuses.
  
  PhD On-campus research. On campus closure days, PhD students should only come to campus if the work is essential and time-sensitive.