Final Examinations: Policies and Procedures for Evacuating University Buildings and for Administration of Examinations Disrupted by Evacuations

Evacuations: A building evacuation may be necessary if there is a fire, power failure, lack of water, hazardous material release, structural damage, bomb threat or other terrorist act, flood, or any other situation that makes the facility unsafe or uninhabitable. An evacuation may be initiated by the building alarm, by notice from a public safety officer or fire official, or by administrative decision. If an alarm sounds, or if a public safety officer or fire official gives an evacuation notice, everyone must leave the building. Detailed information about policies and procedures related to building evacuations is available in the Evacuating Campus Facilities policy.

Evacuations during examinations: The KU Office of Public Safety and the Office of the University Registrar have developed a system to identify replacement classrooms in the event that evacuation is necessary while an examination is in progress or is scheduled to be administered. Instructors are encouraged to inform their students that scheduled examinations will not be canceled in the event of building evacuations and to remind them that there are real personnel and material costs associated with each evacuation.

Policy on relocation of final examinations: If building evacuation is necessary during the final exam period, a member of the KU Office of Public Safety will inform faculty who are giving examinations of an alternate location or will tell the faculty that the examination will be delayed briefly until the building can be searched. If necessary, night examinations will continue past the normal ending time so that every final examination is given on the day on which it was scheduled. No final examination will be canceled or postponed to a later date because of a building evacuation. Postponements or cancellations will occur only when weather conditions are so severe that examinations cannot safely be held. In such cases, a decision to postpone examinations will be made and announced in accordance with existing policies and procedures on inclement weather. (See Winter Weather Policy and Procedures for further information.)

Procedures for relocation when a final examination is already in session: If there is a reason to evacuate a building while a scheduled final examination is in progress, the examination will be moved immediately to an alternative site. A public safety officer on site will provide the professor or instructor who is administering the examination the room number and building name of the alternative location. The faculty member will instruct the students to proceed to that location and continue with the exam.

Procedures for relocation when the final examination is not yet in session: If it is necessary to evacuate a building just prior to the beginning of an examination, an instructor who is scheduled to administer an exam should ask one of the public safety officers on site to identify an alternate location for the examination. The officer will provide the room number and building to the faculty member and through the dispatcher will notify KU Information of the alternative location for the exam. Students who need information about alternate locations for examinations will be asked to call KU Information (864-3506) to obtain this information.

Questions about the procedures related to examinations should be directed to the Office of the Provost and Executive Vice Chancellor (864-4904).