University of Iowa Instructors: 

As you may be aware, Johnson County is under multiple weather warnings and watches from the National Weather Service, including a Wind Chill Watch from Saturday evening through Tuesday morning, when we could see wind chills dropping below –35 degrees at various times. These wind chills can cause frostbite in less than 10 minutes.   

Due to the forecast of extreme weather, the University of Iowa will not hold in-person classes on Tuesday, Jan. 16. 

If you are scheduled to teach in-person on Tuesday, please plan to teach your class via Zoom. Resources to support online instruction are available below. If it is not possible to teach your class via Zoom, you may cancel class but must cover Tuesday’s material in an upcoming class period or on the ICON course site. If circumstances related to the weather prevent a student from being able to attend class via Zoom, we encourage you to be flexible and ensure information covered during the session is also available on ICON.  

Students will be informed later today that we will not hold in-person classes on Tuesday and that they should expect to hear from their instructors via ICON. If you have a Tuesday class, please communicate your plans to students via ICON as soon as possible.  

Classes will resume as scheduled on Wednesday, Jan. 17 unless otherwise announced.  

University offices remain open in accordance with the UI Policy Manual. Employees should report as scheduled, safety permitting, and communicate with their supervisor about their specific circumstances. In all cases we urge students, faculty, and staff to use good judgment and avoid serious risks during extreme weather conditions. 

For additional information and FAQs, view the university’s Extreme Weather Plan and these winter weather safety tips.   

Virtual Instruction Resources 

ITS has adjusted Zoom licenses to ensure that all instructors should be able to hold classes via Zoom on Tuesday. 

ICON should be the platform to communicate with your students during weather-related emergencies. Visit the Keep Teaching site for guidance on how to post an announcement to ICON and other information about emergency remote teaching.