Weather Policy

Darling Marine Center

The University of Maine’s Darling Marine Center (DMC) is located approximately 100 miles from the main campus in Orono. This requires a location-specific policy in response to hazardous conditions from inclement weather that can affect DMC employees, students and visitors on the Walpole campus. This policy is developed to be consistent with UMaine protocols outlined on the UMaine Emergency page with specific considerations related to the DMC campus location and conditions.

Decision process

For potentially hazardous snow accumulations, icy conditions, flooding, or dangerously high wind speed, the DMC’s Facilities Manager and Director will decide whether or not to cancel or delay classes, restrict campus access or activities, or announce cautionary warnings. Delays and cancellations will be informed both by the local weather conditions, campus conditions, and decisions of schools in the area.

Details on announcements

The DMC Communications Manager will send a delay or cancellation notice by 6:15 a.m. You can sign up for email and/or text alerts using the form below.

Sign up for email/text alerts

For other emergency conditions or power outages, the Communications Manager will send a notification to the same email/text list. The message will include any necessary restrictions to campus access and/or relevant precautions.

Mid-day emergency or cancellation alerts will be sent as conditions unfold and at the discretion of the DMC Facilities Manager and Director.

Operations

Storm/Emergency Day Staffing plan

  • All non-essential activities on the DMC campus should be deferred until the designated time stated in the email/text alert. This will ensure emergency personnel can safely access all campus buildings and efficiently clear snow from unoccupied lots.
  • During a storm/emergency event, essential storm personnel include only the Facilities Manager and designated maintenance staff, as well as Sodexo chefs based at the DMC.

Storm day Operations Policy

  • Meals will be provided to dorm residents as scheduled during a storm/emergency event. Sodexo food service personnel will alert DMC staff of a contingency plan (pre-prepared cold meals or a later meal time) no later than 7 p.m. the evening before, if forecasted conditions are unusually severe. The Communications Manager will notify SBS students of this change no later than 8 p.m. the night before.
  • Parking: Semester by the Sea students and any other dorm residents are expected to move cars to a cleared parking spot by 9 a.m. any time there is snow accumulation, unless otherwise specified by the Facilities Manager. This will be made clear by the Residential Life Coordinator and the Communications Manager. This includes weekends!
  • Classes: If the DMC Communications Manager alerts campus of a delay or cancellation, all DMC classes, including Semester by the Sea classes, are also delayed or cancelled.
  • Other activities: Research activities, seminars, and other scheduled events will follow the general strategy for delays or cancellations mentioned above.

Relations to other UMaine campuses

Orono-based online classes may remain on schedule when a DMC delay or cancellation has been announced. If UMaine Orono has a delay or cancellation, the DMC Communications Manager will send an alert notifying whether or not that applies to the Walpole campus by 6:15 a.m.

A delay or cancellation at another UMaine campus does not necessarily mean classes/activities at the DMC are delayed or cancelled.

Inclement weather policy during final examinations

Exams will be rescheduled to Friday in the order in which they were cancelled. For the fall semester, the first cancelled block will be rescheduled to Friday at 9:30, the second block to 12:15, the third to 2:45, the fourth to 5:30, and the fifth to 7:45. For example:

  • If all finals on Monday were cancelled they would be rescheduled to Friday in the same time blocks.
  • If only Tuesday afternoon finals were cancelled starting at 2:45 p.m., the three time blocks would be rescheduled to the first three blocks on Friday (9:30, 12:15, 2:45).
  • Some finals are scheduled for the first three time blocks on Friday. In the event that the rescheduling of a cancelled final conflicts with a previously scheduled final on Friday, the student should attend the originally scheduled final and make individual arrangements for the conflicting final.
  • If the cancellation is on Friday, morning finals will be moved to the afternoon for a delayed opening and individual arrangements will need to be made if the University closes for the entire day.

Questions?

  • Contact dmc@maine.edu or call 207 563 8144 if you have any questions.
  • Other relevant contacts:

Safe travels!

(Updated February 5, 2025)