Emergency Alerts

In the event of an emergency requiring immediate campus-wide communication, official information and instructions will be posted to this page.

Campus Messages

Message shared with Campus Community on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 2:30 p.m.

Operating Status for Wednesday, Jan. 28

Dear Campus Community,

The University of Richmond will be open on Wednesday, Jan. 28, with some adjustments to campus services. This decision ensures continuity of our educational mission and business functions.

The University has worked diligently to clear as many parking lots and sidewalks as possible, but please always use caution. Individuals should use their best judgment in making safe travel decisions. We also recognize inclement weather may cause personal or unforeseen challenges, and employees should communicate with their supervisor if that is the case. Supervisors can reach out to their VP, dean, or HR business partner if they need support. 

In-person classes may resume on Wednesday, Jan. 28. However, faculty may use their discretion for any needed changes to their classes and should communicate expectations with their students.

Some events may need to be postponed or rescheduled, and the events and support services team will be in touch directly with organizers if that is the case. Athletics will communicate direct updates related to games. 

Adjustments to the hours for various campus services will be updated on an ongoing basis at alert.richmond.edu. Dining services information will also be posted at dining.richmond.edu.

Thank you for your commitment to our campus community.

Sincerely, 

Dave Hale
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Joan Saab
Executive Vice President and Provost

Geraldine Sullivan
Chief Human Resources Officer

Todd Adams
Vice President for Student Development

 

****

 

Message shared with Campus Community on Monday, Jan. 26 at 4 p.m.

Operating Status for Tuesday, Jan. 27

Dear Campus Community, 

Lingering effects of the winter storm continue to affect our campus and region — particularly related to travel conditions — and we are implementing a modified operating status for Tuesday, Jan. 27.

Details include: 

CLASSES

• Under this modified operating status, classes are not canceled but will not be held in person on Tuesday, Jan. 27.
• Faculty may use their discretion to either hold Tuesday, Jan. 27, classes via remote learning options or provide an asynchronous assignment.
• Faculty should communicate their plans directly with students.

EMPLOYEES

• Essential employees should coordinate their on-campus schedules with their supervisors. 
• Supervisors may need to designate additional essential employees to meet operating needs and should communicate expectations as soon as possible. Supervisors can reach out to their VP, dean, or HR Business Partner if they need support. 
• Non-essential employees should not work on campus Tuesday, Jan. 27, and should plan to complete their work remotely if possible.
• We recognize inclement weather may cause personal or unforeseen challenges, and we understand there are non-essential employees who cannot complete their duties from home. Please communicate with your supervisor if that is the case. 
• Student employees scheduled to work Tuesday, Jan. 27, should reach out to their supervisor to confirm expectations. 

University staff members have been working diligently for days to clear as many parking lots and sidewalks as possible for those living, learning, and working on campus. Please use caution and use your best judgment in making safe travel decisions.

EVENTS

All events for Tuesday, Jan. 27, are canceled.

CAMPUS SERVICES

• The Heilman Dining Center and ETC are open until 8 p.m. tonight and plan to open regular hours (7 a.m. to 8 p.m.) on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The dining team expects to open some retail locations on Tuesday, Jan. 27, and hours will be posted on dining.richmond.edu.
• The Weinstein Center for Recreation will open on Tuesday, Jan. 27, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. to serve those on campus. All University Recreation and Well-Being Center programming, including sports clubs and fitness classes, is canceled.
• CAPS and the Student Health Center will offer virtual appointments all day on Tuesday, Jan. 27. They will be in touch with students who had in-person appointments scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 27.
• Boatwright Memorial Library will be open on Tuesday, Jan. 27, but may need to adjust operating hours.
• Adjustments to the hours for various campus services are posted at alert.richmond.edu. 

We will communicate our operating status for Wednesday, Jan. 28, sometime tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon.

Thank you for your continued flexibility and commitment to our campus community. 

Sincerely, 

Dave Hale
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Joan Saab
Executive Vice President and Provost

Geraldine Sullivan
Chief Human Resources Officer

Todd Adams
Vice President for Student Development

 

****

 

Message shared with Campus Community on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 3 p.m.

Winter Weather Update: Campus Operations and Resources

Dear Campus Community,

The latest winter weather forecast continues to call for snow, sleet, freezing rain, and ice across our region starting sometime today. An extended period of freezing temperatures increases the risk of power outages, and we want to ensure you are aware of our plans and some best practices to stay safe.

ON CAMPUS OPERATIONS

Numerous staff, including from facilities, dining, student development, and public safety, will be on campus around the clock throughout the duration of the winter storm focusing on critical campus operations and serving our residential student population. We are well stocked with food and water and remain ready to serve our campus community.

In the event of a power outage, the University has secured two generators that we expect can serve both the Heilman Dining Center and Tyler Haynes Commons for continued operations. Should it become necessary, we are planning to use these two buildings as designated warming locations on campus.

Residence halls are equipped with generators that provide emergency lighting during power outages. These generators do not power heating systems. The Student Development team is staging dozens of cots and blankets in Tyler Haynes Commons as a precaution.   

WINTER PREPAREDNESS TIPS

Due to the expected conditions, we are asking our community to:

• Limit driving unless absolutely necessary. Road conditions can change quickly and may be especially hazardous on bridges, hills, and less-traveled streets. Anything we can do to reduce traffic on the roads helps allow law enforcement, emergency personnel, and road crews to prioritize the most critical issues.
• If you need to travel across campus, please ensure you dress in warm clothes and take extra care on sidewalks and stairss.
• Make sure your devices are charged, including portable chargers.
• Should the weather lead to a power outage:
  • Use flashlights — Do not use candles.
  • Keep freezers/refrigerators closed.
  • Unplug microwaves, televisions, computers, gaming systems or anything else with electronic components to prevent damage.
• Keep doors and windows closed to retain heat and prevent damage to pipes, toilets, and other items in your residence hall.

KEY CONTACTS

• For emergencies only, on campus, call (804) 289-8911 from a cell phone. You can dial 8911 from a campus phone.
• You can also contact the non-emergency line for URPD at (804) 289-8715; however, please be aware emergencies will be prioritized, so there may be a delay in response for non-emergencies.
• If you need to reach the facilities team, call (804) 289-8600.
• Students can contact their resident assistant for support.

CAMPUS SERVICES AND RESOURCES

Residence halls, Tyler Haynes Commons, and Heilman Dining Center are options for students looking to gather with friends. Both locations will be available 24 hours a day during the weather emergency.

The Dining Services team will prioritize food service at the Heilman Dining Center and ETC.

• These locations are open for food service until 7 p.m. today.
• Students will have access to build their own breakfast bag this evening for tomorrow morning.
• The team intends to open for food service tomorrow at 11 a.m.

Boatwright Memorial Library will close at 5 p.m. today, and the Weinstein Recreation Center will close at 6 p.m. These locations will be closed Sunday and Monday. 

The Daily Connector’s last run today will be at 8:05 p.m., weather permitting. The Spider Mall Crawl and Campus Loop shuttles are not operating today. These services will not operate Sunday and Monday.

Updates to campus services are posted at alert.richmond.edu.

COMMUNICATIONS

As detailed in our community message yesterday afternoon, all classes and events for Monday, Jan. 26 are canceled. You can review that message in its entirety at alert.richmond.edu.  

Please continue to monitor your email, alert.richmond.edu, the University’s emergency hotline (804-289-8760), and local media for updates. If you have not already signed up for UR Alert, please do so here.

Should power outages or external factors impact the ability to send and receive email messages, we will continue to provide updates on alert.richmond.edu and via the UR Alert text messaging system, as long as possible.

Please continue to take care of yourselves and one another.

Sincerely,

Dave Hale
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Joan Saab
Executive Vice President and Provost

Geraldine Sullivan
Chief Human Resources Officer

Todd Adams
Vice President for Student Development

****

Message shared with Campus Community on Friday, Jan. 23 at 2:30 p.m.

Operating Status for Monday, Jan. 26

Dear Campus Community,

Due to the latest winter weather forecast, which is calling for snow, sleet, ice, and freezing temperatures, we are writing to communicate our operating status for Monday, Jan. 26, will be as follows:

CLASSES AND EVENTS

All classes and events are canceled for Monday, Jan. 26. This decision best supports the safety and well-being of our campus community. 

Students and faculty should prepare for the possibility of remote learning in subsequent days.

CAMPUS SERVICES

We are focused on providing essential services, including dining, public safety, and power plant operations. The Dining Services team will prioritize opening the Heilman Dining Center and ETC but will need to adjust hours. All retail dining locations will be closed on Sunday, Jan. 25, and Monday, Jan. 26.

Adjustments to campus services will be posted at alert.richmond.edu.  

EMPLOYEES

• Designated essential personnel should coordinate their on-campus work schedules with their supervisor.
• Supervisors may need to designate additional essential employees to meet operating needs and should communicate expectations as soon as possible. Supervisors can reach out to their VP, dean, or HR business partner if they need support. 
• Non-essential personnel are not required to work on campus or remotely on Monday, Jan. 26. Employees should be prepared for the possibility of remote work starting on Tuesday. 
• Student employees scheduled to work Monday, Jan. 26, should reach out to their supervisor to confirm expectations.

Thank you for your commitment to our campus community. We hope this advance notice of our operating status for Monday will allow everyone to plan accordingly.

Please continue to monitor your email, alert.richmond.edu, the hotline (804-289-8760), and local media for updates. If you have not already signed up for UR Alert, please do so here to ensure you receive the latest campus updates.

Should power outages or external factors impact the ability to send and receive email messages, we will continue to provide updates on alert.richmond.edu and via the UR Alert text messaging system, as long as possible. You can also contact the non-emergency line for URPD at (804) 289-8715.

We intend to communicate plans for Tuesday, Jan. 27, on Monday after we assess the weather impact to campus.  

Thank you for your flexibility. Take good care of yourself.

Sincerely,

Dave Hale
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Joan Saab
Executive Vice President and Provost

Geraldine Sullivan
Chief Human Resources Officer

Todd Adams
Vice President for Student Development

****

Note: Due to a widespread Microsoft outage on the afternoon of Jan. 22, we have been made aware that some in our community did not receive the messages below, which were shared around 1:30 p.m. Apologies for any inconvenience. Thanks in advance for your understanding.  

Message shared with all faculty and staff on Jan. 22, 2026, at 1:30 p.m.

Preparing for Winter Weather Impacts

Dear Colleagues, 

As you are likely aware, a major winter storm is expected to affect our region beginning this weekend with potential continuing impacts into next week.

We are closely monitoring the forecast and intend to be in touch by no later than Sunday afternoon with our operating plans for Monday, Jan. 26, once we have a clearer picture of how our campus will be impacted. 

We are writing at this time to provide some guidance on how you can also best prepare.

Planning Ahead

• Faculty should be prepared if classes are not able to be held in person early next week. This preparation should include the possibility of implementing remote learning options or providing an asynchronous assignment; however, if this weather event leads to widespread power outages, remote learning options may not be possible. Faculty should share their expectations with students should these scenarios be necessary. 
• All staff and faculty should plan for the possibility of remote work on Monday and should take home anything they might need should we need to do so.
• In anticipation of this weather event, supervisors may need to designate additional essential employees to meet on-campus operating needs. We encourage all supervisors to share expectations for ensuring continuity of work, both on and off campus. Supervisors are encouraged to reach out to their VP, dean, or HR Business Partner if they need support. 

Winter Weather Preparedness

Some tips to prepare for winter weather include: 

• Make sure your devices are charged, including portable chargers. 
• Create a home emergency preparedness kit with extra water, food, medications, batteries, flashlights, and blankets. 
• Also consider creating a car emergency kit with jumper cables, sand/kitty litter, warm clothes, flashlight, water, and snacks.
• Additional winter weather preparedness tips are available here. 

We will continue to communicate any updates, including when we know more about our operating status for Monday. Students have received a similar message, which is posted below for your awareness. 

Sincerely, 

Dave Hale
Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer

Joan Saab
Executive Vice President and Provost

Geraldine Sullivan
Chief Human Resources Officer

*****

Message shared with all students on Jan. 22, 2026 at 1:30 p.m.

Preparing for Winter Weather Impacts

Dear Students, 

The University is closely monitoring the major winter storm expected to affect our region and campus starting this weekend. The weather event, which may include snow, sleet, ice, and freezing temperatures, could impact our area into next week. 

We will communicate operating plans by Sunday afternoon once we have a more concrete idea of the impact of the weather to our area. Today, we are writing to provide guidance on how you can best prepare ahead of the expected weather. 

Winter Weather Preparedness

• Make sure your devices are charged, including portable chargers. 
• Students living on campus should please keep windows closed as the freezing temperatures could negatively impact pipes, toilets, and other items in your residence hall. 
• Consider creating an emergency preparedness kit with water, food, medications, blankets, batteries, and flashlights.
  • You can pick up a free flashlight (while supplies last) and snow safety educational materials from 12-2 p.m. tomorrow (Friday) at the Heilman Dining Center. The Emergency Management team will be tabling.

• If you plan to stock up on supplies, please do so today (Thursday) or tomorrow (Friday) before the winter weather is expected to begin. The Daily Connector schedule can be found here. 

We are focused on providing essential services such as dining, public safety, and power plant operations during the impending winter weather. Updates to various campus services will be posted on alert.richmond.edu. 

We will be in touch with any updates and when we know more about our operating status for Monday.

Sincerely, 

Todd Adams
Vice President for Student Development