Winter Storm Warning - The University of Tulsa
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Winter Storm Warning

TU community,

As Tulsa begins to emerge from a deep freeze and utility companies stabilize the power supplies, we are able to resume classes virtually Thursday and Friday. However, persistent challenges with maintaining heat in some buildings and clearing all of the walkways prevent us from offering in-person classes until next week.

McFarlin Library and Mabee Legal Information Center will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Students experiencing issues related to effects of the storms can reach out to Accessibility@TU for assistance at any time.

Campus offices will remain closed, so staff who are not required for minimal campus operations should plan to work remotely for the rest of the week. If you are unsure whether you should report to work for essential operations, please contact your supervisor as soon as possible.

Please watch university channels for additional updates and be careful when walking or driving across campus until all of the ice and snow is removed from sidewalks and parking lots.

We sincerely appreciate everyone’s patience and flexibility as we worked through the logistics of dealing with back-to-back winter storms during the past week. Our TU community continues to be resourceful and resilient!


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As you know, the City of Tulsa is experiencing historic freezing temperatures and more snow is expected, therefore campus will remain closed Wednesday with no classes – in-person or virtual. All offices will be closed as will McFarlin Library and Mabee Legal Information Clinic.

All employees not required for minimal campus operations do not have to report for work Wednesday – virtually or in-person. If you are unsure whether you should report to work for essential operations, please contact your supervisor as soon as possible.

Numerous power failures and rolling blackouts have been reported in our region as Public Service Co. of Oklahoma attempts to prevent further outages. So far, campus still has power and we hope to keep it that way, but planned blackouts that last about two hours are highly likely. We are communicating with PSO and preparing for all scenarios.

Just like with COVID-19, we are all in this together and can take measures to prepare for different scenarios.

Tips for staying safe and informed:

  • Use less heat and electricity. Lowering your thermostat to 68 degrees during the day and 60 degrees overnight is a recommendation made by PSO as part of an emergency energy conservation strategy to mitigate the risk of large-scale outages this week. Every bit of conservation will help prevent outages.
  • Keep faucets dripping and open the cabinets underneath to allow warm air to circulate.
  • Unplug unnecessary devices and appliances.
  • Take inventory of the items that depend on electricity. Charge your cell phones, iPads, laptops and other electronics in case of an outage.
  • Collect batteries, warm layers and blankets in case of an outage.
  • Subscribe to TU’s emergency alert system. (Check your subscription to make sure it hasn’t expired.)
  • Download the TU Safe Zone app.
  • Monitor email, TV/radio stations and TU social media accounts.

We will continue to monitor weather conditions and evaluate other concerns before emailing you with a decision about Thursday’s plan for classes and campus operations. Stay safe and warm, TU!


TU community,

Severe winter weather continues to threaten Oklahoma, so we have determined it is best to keep campus closed at least one more day. All University of Tulsa classes have been canceled and offices, including McFarlin Library and Mabee Legal Information Center, will be closed on Tuesday.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill warning in effect until Tuesday morning. A winter storm warning will begin at noon Tuesday and continue through Thursday morning as heavy snow is expected.

Public Service Co. of Oklahoma (PSO), which supplies electricity to campus and much of the region, has begun rolling blackouts in response to the increased need for heat. Blackouts could last up to an hour. This means faculty and students may face connectivity issues and virtual classes would be difficult.

For these reasons, no classes – in-person or virtual – will be held Tuesday. All employees not required for minimal campus operations do not have to report for work Tuesday – virtually or in-person. If you are unsure whether you should report to work for essential operations, please contact your supervisor as soon as possible.

Tuesday night’s televised men’s basketball game against Temple is expected to be played as scheduled with no fans in the stands.

We hope to be able to return to virtual classes Wednesday, but we will continue to monitor weather conditions and evaluate other concerns before emailing you with a final decision. Updates also are posted to TU social media accounts.

University crews will monitor walkways and treat slick spots for those who must travel across campus, but we encourage students, faculty and staff to exercise caution when driving or walking. Tips for how to handle extreme winter weather are available online.

Stay safe and warm, TU!

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