Final Exams: Procedures for Evacuating Buildings, Postponement due to Weather

Dear Colleague,

With final examinations scheduled to begin on Monday, December 13, it is important to review university procedures for evacuating buildings, the policies and procedures that govern administration of examinations that are disrupted by evacuations, and the procedures for canceling or postponing examinations due to severe weather conditions.

A building evacuation may be necessary if there is a fire, power failure, lack of water, hazardous material release, structural damage, or any other situation that makes the facility unsafe or uninhabitable. An evacuation may be initiated by the building alarm, by notice from a public safety officer or fire official, or by administrative decision. If an alarm sounds, or if a public safety officer or fire official gives an evacuation notice, everyone must leave the building.

If building evacuation is necessary during the final exam period, a member of the KU Office of Public Safety will inform faculty who are giving examinations of an alternate location or will tell the faculty that the examination will be delayed briefly until the building can be searched. Please inform your students that no final examination will be canceled or postponed to a later date because of a building evacuation. You also might let them know that there are real personnel and material costs associated with each evacuation.

In the event that weather conditions are so severe that examinations cannot safely be held, a decision to postpone examinations will be made and announced in accordance with existing policies and procedures on inclement weather. (See the Inclement Weather portion of the Winter Weather Policy and Procedure on the Policy Library website for further information.)

Detailed information about the policies and procedures affecting evacuations during final examinations is available on the Policy Library website. Please review the information and if you have questions, contact the Provost's Office (785-864-4904 or provost@ku.edu).

Office of the Provost