Students, Faculty, Staff, and Guests: Your Safety is Our Priority
While the Oklahoma climate is mild, severe storms can occur at any time of the year. Oklahoma City University may cancel classes due to impending weather or alert those on campus to take the necessary shelter.
When the university is closed for weather-related purposes, scheduled events and other activities are assumed to be canceled or postponed. On occasion, classes have to be canceled or starting times delayed. Students who feel they cannot safely travel to school should contact their professor at a later time for work missed. Faculty and staff who feel they cannot safely travel to school should contact their supervisor. Please exercise caution and use your best judgement in making your decision to travel to school.
OKCU officials continually monitor the weather and will announce any closings or cancellations as they arise. Campus closings, delayed openings, and weather alerts will be announced through the university’s Blue Alert text/email message emergency notification system. They will also be posted on this webpage, on the OKCU homepage, on local radio and television stations, and through the official OKCU Facebook and Twitter accounts. No announcement will be made if classes are to be conducted as scheduled.
In the event of a tornado, those located in Cokesbury Court Apartments are encouraged to shelter in the lower level of the Sarkeys Center. Those located in Methodist Hall are encouraged to shelter in that building’s lower-level stairwells. The lower level of the University Center and the basement of the Dulaney-Browne Library have been designated as overflow shelter areas for Methodist Hall.
Refer to the campus map if you are unfamiliar with the locations of various buildings on campus. Please note that while many buildings on campus may be designated as tornado shelters, some buildings may not be open during evenings or weekends. Remember that general recommendations for sheltering from a tornado involve going to an interior room on the lowest level of the building you are in, and avoiding areas near windows.
Inclement Weather Policy
The decision to close the campuses and cancel classes and events is made with input from many sources. Safety is always our utmost concern, but we also want to make sure students have every opportunity to attend the classes they have purchased with their tuition. Before making the decision to close, we talk with other universities, monitor local conditions, receive updates from the National Weather Service in Norman, Oklahoma, and interact with OCU Facilities and the OCU Police Department. Because the OKC metro is so widespread and the weather is often local, we try to get as much information as possible to evaluate the many areas in which OCU commuters live.
In case of severe weather, please take shelter in whichever of these locations is closest to you. Please note: some buildings may be closed during after-hours, weekends and holidays.
- The basement of the Clara E. Jones Administration Building
- The first floor hallway on the northeast side of the Dawson Loeffler Center
- The north lower level hallway (practice room area) of the Wanda L. Bass Music Center
- The basement of the Bishop W. Angie Smith Chapel
- The basement of the Dulaney Browne Library
- The east and west hallway locker rooms of Henry J. Freede Wellness and Activity Center
- The basement of the Ann Lacy School of Dance and Arts Management
- The basement of the Gold Star Building
- The basement hallways adjacent to Room No. 14 in Kirkpatrick Fine Arts Center
- The lower level or Student Leadership Center in Tom and Brenda McDaniel University Center
- First floor classrooms in Sarkeys Science and Math Center
- The basement of Walker Hall
- The basement of Banning Hall
- The basement of Smith Hall
- The basement of Draper Hall
- The basement of Harris Hall
- Downtown School of Law Campus First Floor, East Wall
The City of Oklahoma City maintains an online map of snow routes.
