Communicating campus status during winter months

As the winter season approaches, questions often arise from students, faculty and staff about Durham College (DC) remaining open or closed due to changes in the weather. As stated in the Emergency Closure procedure, “if there is no specific announcement about a closure, Durham College will remain open”, meaning during most days of the winter season, the campus remains open and all classes and activities will be held as scheduled.

To reduce this uncertainty, as of Tuesday, December 2 a campus status feature will be added to the top right corner of www.durhamcollege.ca. This indicator will advise students, faculty, staff and campus visitors of the current status of the Oshawa and Whitby campuses and the Pickering Learning Site at any given time.

If winter weather results in situations that affect the teaching or working environment (such as power outages) or situations that place members of the college community at risk, a red status alert bar containing messaging about the situation will appear throughout the Durham College website. 

Additionally, we have developed a campus status webpage that contains helpful links and information such as:

• DC’s emergency communications channels
• The inclement weather procedure
• What a closure means to me?
• Winter driving tips
• Links to public transit websites, the college’s social media accounts and a local weather report 

Watch a short video demonstrating this new feature on how we will communicate changes in the status of Durham College locations.

At all times, regardless of weather conditions, Durham College reminds you to allow for plenty of time to get to the campus, ensuring you drive with due caution and care, especially if you are in an area heavily affected by the weather.