USF update on Hurricane Milton

The university has provided a list of FAQs regarding Hurricane Milton here.

Updated Thursday, Oct. 10 at 2:15 p.m. –

The University of South Florida is monitoring the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The
safety of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority.

The university recognizes that many in the Tampa Bay region and state of Florida are
recovering from the hurricane, and that this may be a difficult time for members of
the USF community.

Based on the latest information, all campuses will remain closed until at least Saturday, Oct. 12.

All classes are canceled on Friday, Oct. 11, and Saturday, Oct. 12. There will be
no in-person, online or asynchronous instruction on Friday or Saturday.

A decision about resuming normal class schedules on Monday, Oct. 14, will be made
after teams from USF can further assess each campus and conditions around the Tampa
Bay region.

The university is working to get residence halls and dining options reopened for students
as soon as possible.

USF will not be resuming normal business operations in person or remotely on Friday,
Oct. 11. Only USF employees who are 1) classified as essential personnel, 2) identified by
their supervisors as critical to campus operations, or 3) working in a facility that
will be open on Friday would report to work, but only after consultation with their
supervisors. Please contact your supervisor if you are unsure of your status. Supervisors
are strongly encouraged to offer flexibility for those who need additional time. This
may include adjusting work schedules to ensure employees have the necessary time to
focus on their safety.

The university continues to update the list of FAQs found here.

USF leadership will continue to monitor the storm impacts and provide additional updates
as soon as they are available. Any significant updates will be shared via usf.edu,
USF’s official social media channels, MyUSF and email.

Updated Wednesday, Oct. 9 at 9:45 a.m. –

The University of South Florida continues to monitor Hurricane Milton. The safety
of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority. The most recent weather
forecasts call for significant impacts to the Tampa Bay region. We urge members of
the university community to plan carefully, follow local weather reports and monitor
updates from county and state emergency management officials.

Based on the latest information, as of now, the university anticipates that classes
scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12, will only be held asynchronously, which means students will not have to meet on Saturday and will instead receive an
assignment from their instructor that does not have to be completed on Saturday. No
in-person classes will be held on Saturday, and in-person labs scheduled for Saturday
are canceled.

As announced yesterday, all campuses remain closed through at least Thursday, Oct.
10, and as of now, we anticipate only holding classes asynchronously and resuming
remote USF business operations on Friday, Oct. 11.

A final determination about class schedules, campus reopening and business operations
on Friday, Oct. 11, will be made Thursday evening once more information is available.

USF Health clinical facilities will be closed on Wednesday, Oct. 9, Thursday, Oct.
10, and Friday, Oct. 11. USF Health patients may call (813) 821-8038 or utilize MyChart to reschedule their
appointments.

The university continues to update the list of FAQs found here.

USF leadership will continue to monitor the storm and provide additional updates as
needed. Any significant updates regarding changes to normal business operations will
be shared via usf.edu, USF’s official social media channels, MyUSF and email.

Updated Tuesday, Oct. 8 at 8:30 a.m. –

The University of South Florida continues to monitor Hurricane Milton. The safety
of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we track the storm and
the possible impacts to the Tampa Bay region. We urge students, faculty and staff
to plan carefully, follow local weather reports, and monitor updates from county and
state emergency management officials.

Based on the latest weather information, all classes are canceled, and all campuses
will remain closed through at least Thursday, Oct. 10.

As of now, we anticipate holding classes asynchronously on Friday, Oct. 11, which
means students will not have to meet on Friday and will instead receive an assignment
from their instructor that does not have to be completed on Friday. No in-person
classes will be held on Friday.

As of now, we anticipate resuming remote USF business operations on Friday, Oct. 11,
with only essential and critical employees working on campus. In that case, only USF
employees who are 1) classified as essential personnel, 2) identified by their supervisors
as critical to campus operations, or 3) working in a facility that will be open on
Friday would report to work in person, in consultation with their supervisors. If
normal business operations can resume, employees who do not fall into these categories
would work remotely on Friday. Please contact your supervisor if you are unsure of
your status. Supervisors are strongly encouraged to offer flexibility for those who
may need additional time. This may include adjusting work schedules to ensure employees
have the necessary time to focus on their safety.

A final determination about class schedules, campus reopening and remote business
operations on Friday, Oct. 11, will be made once more information is available.

USF closed the residence halls on the Tampa campus at 8 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 8. Students
who live on the Tampa campus were encouraged to leave the area if they have options
to do so safely. Students who live on the Tampa campus and need a safe place to stay were transported
to Jennings Middle School on Tuesday morning. Jennings Middle School, located at 9325
Governors Run Dr., Seffner, FL 33584, serves as an approved Hillsborough County shelter
during a hurricane.

Residence halls in St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee closed at noon Monday. Students
from those two campuses who need a safe place to stay were transported to the Tampa
campus, and were also be transported to Jennings Middle School with the Tampa campus
students. All students who go to the shelter will remain there until it is safe to
return.

Residential students will receive more detailed information separately about exact
times and locations for evacuations.

The university continues to update the list of FAQs found here.

Updated Monday, Oct. 7 at 9 a.m. –

The University of South Florida continues to monitor Hurricane Milton.  The safety
of our students, faculty and staff is our highest priority as we track the storm and
the possible impacts to the Tampa Bay region.  

Based on the latest weather information, USF has made the following decisions:

On Monday, Oct. 7, no in-person classes will be held, and all campuses will be closed. Classes will only be delivered asynchronously, which means students will not have to meet on Monday and they will receive an assignment
from their instructor that does not have to be completed on Monday or while the university
is closed. Students and faculty will receive more detailed information separately.
Faculty are asked to be patient, understanding and flexible with their students under
the circumstances.

On Monday, Oct. 7, normal USF business operations will continue remotely. Only USF employees who are 1) classified as essential personnel, 2) identified by
their supervisors as critical to campus operations, or 3) working in a facility that
will remain open on Monday should report to work in person, in consultation with their
supervisors. Employees who do not fall into these categories should work remotely
on Monday. Please contact your supervisor if you are unsure of your status. Supervisors
are strongly encouraged to offer flexibility for those who may need additional time
to prepare their families, homes and personal belongings ahead of the storm. This
may include adjusting work schedules to ensure employees have the necessary time to
focus on their safety.

On Tuesday, Oct. 8 and Wednesday, Oct. 9, all classes are canceled and all campuses
will be closed. No asynchronous course delivery will occur for classes scheduled on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Only USF employees who are 1) classified as essential personnel or 2) identified
by their supervisors as critical to campus operations should report to work, come
to campus or work remotely on Tuesday and Wednesday. Non-essential personnel or those
not deemed critical to campus operations by their supervisor are not expected to work
on Tuesday or Wednesday.

A decision about resuming classes, reopening campuses and returning to normal business
operations for Thursday, Oct. 10, will be made at a later time.

As soon as campuses close, academic and research buildings will move to emergency
mode to allow response teams to prepare for impending weather. Once buildings move
to emergency mode, only emergency personnel will be permitted to enter until campuses
re-open.

Students who live on any USF campus are encouraged to leave the area if they have
options to do so safely.

Residence halls on the Tampa remain open as of now. However, depending on the path
and intensity of the storm, the Tampa campus may need to evacuate, and the residence
halls would have to close. If that happens, students remaining on campus would be
transported to approved county shelters until it is safe to return.
Residence halls in St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee will be closing by noon on
Monday. St. Petersburg and Sarasota-Manatee students who need a safe place to stay
will be transported to the Tampa campus. If the Tampa campus is required to evacuate,
students remaining on campus would be transported to approved county shelters until
it is safe to return.

Residential students will receive more specific information about evacuation plans
separately.

USF Health clinical facilities will be open on Monday, Oct. 7. Decisions about Tuesday, Oct. 8, and Wednesday, Oct. 9 will be announced later. USF
Health patients may call 813-821-8038 to reschedule their appointments.

We urge students, faculty and staff to plan carefully, follow local weather reports
and monitor updates from county and state emergency management officials. The USF Hurricane Guide also serves as a valuable resource for the university community.  

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