Random Thoughts 18: The Year of Fire

[Ms3r4ISU]

You can't change the message remotely any more?

I saw yesterday that ISU was going to "online learning" today. Did they send "non-essentials" home today? They cancelled classes maybe 3 times in my 30 years there. I was lucky to have vacation time to use each time, but I remember a lot of the clerical staff in my dept would work early & through their lunch to comp back the time they were told to take.

I'm sure I can, just haven't looked it up.
For classes, this is the final day of the winter session classes held between semesters. It was a COVID offering that they decided to keep. Most, if not all, of those classes are virtual to some extent anyway.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

I'm sure I can, just haven't looked it up.
For classes, this is the final day of the winter session classes held between semesters. It was a COVID offering that they decided to keep. Most, if not all, of those classes are virtual to some extent anyway.

But did they also release the staff? There were times when they cancelled classes but WE still had to be in our offices. I guess they thought we could drive(?) in the stuff, but the students couldn't walk in the stuff...

 

[VeloClone]

But did they also release the staff? There were times when they cancelled classes but WE still had to be in our offices. I guess they thought we could drive(?) in the stuff, but the students couldn't walk in the stuff...

Meh. Staff are expendable and replaceable - students are paying the bills.



<jimlad>

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Meh. Staff are expendable and replaceable - students are paying the bills.



<jimlad>

I was fortunate in that my job was seasonal and I was somewhat non-essential in the winter...plus, I had a ton of vacation time stored up because Lew didn't have as much and it seemed kind of pointless to take days off without him unless it was due to weather. So if the roads were icy or covered in snow I used the excuse that we live in rural story county and are one of the last areas plowed (in fact, we plow our lane with our bobcat).
Faculty were usually no-shows with no classes; P&S might come in if they had time sensitive greenhouse/incubator stuff going on. The ones that paid the price were the support staff in the department, newer hires who didn't have vacation built up. But by gosh, that departmental office simply HAD to be staffed.

 

[Ms3r4ISU]

This was the message we got at 4:16 pm yesterday:




Dear Iowa State Community,

Iowa State University will partially close on Friday, Jan. 12, due to a blizzard warning issued through Saturday. All winter session classes will meet virtually as scheduled at the discretion of the instructor.

Supervisors should provide maximum flexibility for employees to work remotely or take leave. If remote work is not an option, consider potential training opportunities that employees can complete remotely.

Supervisors in police, public safety, security, power plant, food service, health care, animal care and critical maintenance should make arrangements for team members to report safely to campus. Employees who cannot make it to campus should contact their supervisors.

During the partial closure, all campus buildings will be locked. If you need access, please contact the ISU Department of Public Safety at 515-294-4428. Students moving back into the residence halls will still have access on Friday.

Thielen Student Health Center will be open on Friday. The Student Counseling Center will be open for crisis appointments.

For weather-related information and updates, employees should bookmark the following links:

• National Weather Service (Des Moines/central Iowa)
• 511 road conditions (statewide)

For questions, you can access this FAQ or the university’s severe weather and emergency closings policy.

Spring semester classes are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, Jan. 16. University leaders will continue to monitor weather conditions and provide a campus update on Monday.



Wendy Wintersteen, President

Jonathan Wickert, Senior Vice President and Provost

Toyia Younger, Senior Vice President for Student Affairs

Heather Paris, Interim Senior Vice President for Operations and Finance

 

[ImJustKCClone]

The ability to work on a remote basis has definitely changed things. I retired pre-Covid - it was not as common before all of that for staff to NOT be in the offices.

I like the idea of being able to do remote training if they can't work from home; at least that saves their vacation days.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Heading home from work say a prayer.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

Drive safe!

 

[dmclone]

My morning started off with a bowl of shredded wheat. As I'm looking down, it took me about 5 seconds to realize that instead of milk, I was pouring water over my cereal.

On a side note, until this moment, I was really liking our "beverage center, that is built into the Samsung fridge.

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Made it home. New 30 between Ames and Nevada was pretty good in right lane but blowing snow made it go from plenty visibility to nothing. Roads in town of Nevada are total crap. Work at a restaurant and couldn't believe the amount of people we did have. 1 is a retired guy who is a Friday regular. If you don't have a good reason to be out in there is no reason you should be out and about.

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Cleared my driveway. I guess the walks can wait til tomorrow.

 

[Rabbuk]

Made it home. New 30 between Ames and Nevada was pretty good in right lane but blowing snow made it go from plenty visibility to nothing. Roads in town of Nevada are total crap. Work at a restaurant and couldn't believe the amount of people we did have. 1 is a retired guy who is a Friday regular. If you don't have a good reason to be out in there is no reason you should be out and about.

Liking because you made it home. My brother works 2nd shift and said his drive home was pretty rough

 

[CycloneRulzzz]

Liking because you made it home. My brother works 2nd shift and said his drive home was pretty rough

Glad I was able to come home in daylight. Probably be scared ****less to drive these conditions at night.

I was the only one not to call in because of weather but because I need to average so many hours for insurance reasons I no choice but to come into work.

 

[pourcyne]

 

[Cyclones_R_GR8]

Glad I was able to come home in daylight. Probably be scared ****less to drive these conditions at night.

I was the only one not to call in because of weather but because I need to average so many hours for insurance reasons I no choice but to come into work.

I drove some nights where I really had no business being out there. That blowing snow on those county roads.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

I drove some nights where I really had no business being out there. That blowing snow on those county roads.

Lew worked a couple of jobs where he HAD to go to work, weather be damned. It scared the living daylights out of me. He wrapped the Lincoln Towncar around a telephone pole one night on the way home. He had just made a turn and wasn't even going 20 mph...hit a patch of black ice and just sliiiiiiiiiiiiiiid off the road and sideways into the pole.

 

[stormchaser2014]

Sweeeeeeeeet emooooooootion

 

[stormchaser2014]

He could head north to the ample sustenance provided by the mountainous peaks above.

 

[ImJustKCClone]

The gazelle now faces man's most perilous question - north, or south?

 

[stormchaser2014]

Houston, this is a kick ass ride.