Especially during the winter season, inclement weather can make travel difficult; when weather conditions worsen overnight, it can be challenging to prepare the campus in time to receive students, faculty, and staff before the start of morning classes. Ohio State Mansfield and North Central State College make every effort to remain open and on schedule. Class meetings are vital to the educational process; canceling even a single meeting may negatively impact learning goals. In addition, higher education institutions are not dependent on bus transportation as are primary and secondary schools. Our campus will often remain open when area public and private primary and secondary schools delay their openings or close.
Stay Informed about Closures or Delays
Rather than calling the campus to determine the status of classes, we encourage you to sign up for Buckeye Alerts, check one of the following websites, or listen to any of the radio stations listed below for information regarding a closure or delay. Keep in mind that media sources will not be asked to announce cancellation of individual classes; they will announce only closings or delays of the campus as a whole.
The campus will make every effort, by 6:30 A.M., to inform media sources of its intentions regarding a weather closure or delay. Yet weather conditions may not deteriorate until after 6:30 A.M. (e.g., the sudden onset of freezing rain). We recommend that students, faculty, and staff sign up for Buckeye Alerts and check one or more of the following sources of information before traveling to the campus in inclement weather.
Web Sites
- The Ohio State University at Mansfield
- Ohio State policies and information on weather and short-term closings
- WMFD
- WTVN
Radio Stations
| Frequency: | Listening Area Served: |
| 1590AM / 93.5FM / 94.9FM / 97.5FM / 107.3FM | Akron/Canton/Cleveland |
| 1340AM / 101.3FM | Ashland |
| 1540AM / 92.7FM / 107.5FM | Bucyrus |
| 92.3 / 93.3 / 97.9 / 105.7FM | Columbus |
| 102.3FM | Galion |
| 1400AM / 98.3FM | Mansfield |
| 1440AM / 106.1FM | Mansfield |
| 90.7 / 100.1 / 105.3FM | Mansfield |
| 1510AM / 95.3FM | Norwalk |
| 960AM / 104.5FM | Wooster |
Instructions for Travel in Inclement Weather
We serve a broad geographic area in which commuters may experience a diverse range of weather conditions in different locations on the same day. If Ohio State Mansfield has not issued an official closure or delay, students, staff, and faculty are expected to exercise their judgment in determining whether travel conditions are safe enough to attend classes or other university activities. Students are accountable for any material missed during an absence when there is no official closure or delay. Students in such situations should contact their faculty members. Faculty are encouraged to provide such students the opportunity to make up missed work on the students’ own time. In all cases, students are expected to pursue by their own self-directed efforts the course content, activities, and assignments for which they are responsible during the period of absence.
If the campus is officially closed or its opening delayed, then students, faculty, and staff should not come to campus until the closure or delay is over. Only employees officially designated as “essential” according to their contracts should report to campus as necessary when the campus is closed. (Employees unsure of their status in this regard should contact their supervisor.)
Delaying The Opening of Campus
If weather forces a delay in the opening of campus, then all classes and activities scheduled to begin that day before the specified time of the delayed opening are canceled. Classes and activities that begin after the specified time will be held as originally scheduled.
For example, if the campus delays opening until 10:00 A.M., then any class or activity scheduled to begin prior to 10:00 A.M. that day is canceled for the day.
Activities or classes scheduled to begin at or after the delayed opening time will be held as scheduled. Students will be responsible for any material presented in such classes.
Defining Closure and Delay
Closure: The campus is closed. All classes and activities scheduled by the university have been cancelled for the day.
Delay: The campus is closed that day until a specified delayed opening time to allow it to prepare for the safe arrival of students, faculty, and staff. Classes and activities scheduled to begin prior to the specified time are canceled for the day. Classes and activities that begin after the specified time are not canceled and will be held as originally scheduled.
Cancellation of Evening Classes
When weather deteriorates during the day and is forecast to continue to deteriorate through the afternoon and evening, the campus will make a decision whether to cancel classes by 3:30 P.M. Such cancellation information will be made available as described above. As with decisions to cancel in the morning, decisions to cancel evening classes and events depend on many factors.
Conditions For Winter Weather Cancellation
Generally, a campus closure will be announced under the following conditions:
- The volume of snow or ice is such that campus roadways and parking lots cannot be safely cleared
- Level 3 snow emergency in Richland County.