Campus Life

Midnight Clear called for tonight (Jan. 20)

The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) at Penn State's University Park campus has declared a Midnight Clear for tonight (Jan. 20). As a result, parking will be restricted in surface parking lots from midnight to 7 a.m. on Jan. 21, with some exceptions. According to weather reports, about 4 inches of snow is expected to fall in State College tonight.

For the Midnight Clear, overnight parking will be available in:

-- all parking decks, under roof areas only, between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m.;

-- lot Red A, west of Atherton Street, in a row of spaces located directly west of the Earth and Engineering Sciences Building;

-- lot Orange H, in the center section located between the Land and Water Research Building and the Materials Research Laboratory, and also in the fourth row of spaces from Hastings Road between the Forest Resources Laboratory and the Research Center.

-- areas with fenced parking compounds, such as Fleet Operations, the Office of Physical Plant back lot and Bryce Jordan Center Orange L South lot;

-- all farm areas.

 

Parking will be restricted from midnight to 3 a.m. only in the following areas:

-- lot Red A, with the exception of the location listed above;

-- the section of Lot Orange U west of University Support Building I, north of the driveway;

-- a section of Lot Orange O.

 

Employees with a valid faculty/staff permit reporting to work early may park in these areas beginning at 3 a.m. For those who hold commuter permits, Lot 44 (Jordan East) and Stadium West are not restricted during a midnight clear. However, parking in either lot from 2 to 4 a.m. always is prohibited.

Departments with University vehicles need to move them into one of the parking decks before midnight tonight. Oversized vehicles should be moved to one of the overnight parking areas listed above. If it is not possible to move to a designated overnight parking area, special provisions can be made by contacting the Parking Office at 814-865-1436 or parking@psu.edu.

The East Bay (the section closest to Bigler Road) on the ground floor of the East Deck has been reserved for oversized vehicles that do not fit into other garages on campus. The ground floor of the East Deck will accommodate vehicles up to 8 feet, 2 inches in height. Vehicles that normally had to remain in one of the approved surface areas because of roof racks, truck caps etc. now can be parked in the East Deck.

Signs have been posted in the East Deck reserving the East Bay (closest to East Halls) for oversized vehicles. Once the signs are posted regular vehicles (less than 7 feet in height) are prohibited from parking in the reserved area and must park in another portion of the garage.

When parked in the garages during a Midnight Clear event, all ADA parking regulations remain in effect. Vehicles parked in handicapped-designated parking spaces must display a valid, state-issued HP license plate or placard.

Student storage lots such as Lot 43, and resident parking lots Blue 22, Blue 81, Blue 82, Blue 83, Lot Silver 42, and Brown 11, are not affected by a Midnight Clear.

As a reminder, all students and employees are encouraged to take responsibility for their own safety. In addition, people who are concerned about commuting to or from campus because of severe weather can take advantage of discounted hotel rooms at The Nittany Lion Inn and The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Call the hotels to check availability and whether or not the discount is available whenever severe weather and dangerous driving conditions exist or are anticipated.

Faculty and staff should use their own best judgment when considering traveling to campus or the need to leave work early during times of inclement weather. Staff may charge their absence to vacation time when weather conditions cause a concern for personal safety. As usual, supervisors should make every effort to accommodate employees who wish to leave work early because of the weather.

Faculty and staff also should review "Handling Weather Day Absences" (Human Resources Guideline 10) on the Web at http://guru.psu.edu/policies/OHR/hrg10.html for specific information on how time missed for weather situations is handled.

For additional information about staying informed and being prepared during periods of inclement weather at Penn State, visit http://live.psu.edu/story/56793 online.

A Midnight Clear has been declared on the University Park campus for Jan. 20, 2012. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated January 20, 2012