Winter Weather: Operating Changes

Campus pathways and building access look much improved from yesterday, with much of the snow cleared to provide entry to facilities (special thanks to this crew!). That said, there are still slick spots where remaining moisture refroze overnight due to cold temperatures, so please use caution when moving about campus. We are hopeful that today’s sunshine and slightly above-freezing temperatures (even if just marginally so) will continue to help prepare our campus for the joyful start of the Spring term, with students, faculty, and staff back in motion.

For Tuesday, February 3, we will continue with remote work for employees. However, buildings will open at noon to allow faculty and staff, as they are able and if desired, to return to campus in preparation for the beginning of Spring term on Wednesday. Please use personal judgment and continue to prioritize your safety, as several areas on campus and roadways into campus may remain slick.

At this time, we plan to move forward with the start of the Spring term on Wednesday, and we will share any additional guidance as conditions continue to evolve.

Monday, February 2, 2026

• Essential personnel only on campus
• Montgomery and Wilson Hall open from 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
• Weisiger and Gibbs will be open for in-season team use only from 12:00 p.m.-6:00 p.m.
• All other buildings remain closed
• Dining hours are adjusted to:
  • Gee Dining Hall:
    Brunch: 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
    Dinner: 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
  • Freshens: Closed
• Student-athletes will continue to receive guidance from their coaches regarding team schedules, and flexibility will remain in place for those who are unable to safely return to campus. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Associate VP/Director of Athletics Jenn Bell at jennifer.bell@converse.edu.

Tuesday, February 3, 2026

• Remote workday
• Employees may return to campus after noon if desired*
• Montgomery and Wilson Hall open: 7:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m
• Library open: 12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
• Bookstore open: 12:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m.
• All other buildings open: 12:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m.
• Dining hours are adjusted to:
  • Gee Dining Hall:
    Brunch: 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.
    Dinner: 5:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.
  • Freshens: Closed

Wednesday, February 4, 2026

• In-person classes and on-campus work per normal schedules
• All buildings, including the Library and Bookstore, resume regular hours
• Dining services at both Gee and Freshens resume regular hours

Also on Wednesday, we will welcome a small group of our newest residential and commuting Valkyries to campus. New residential students will have both move-in and their first day of class on Wednesday, with added flexibility as needed. Please give them a warm welcome and offer any help you can as they navigate a potentially stressful day. New students will have optional Orientation activities on Thursday.

Safety first

Employees should continue working closely with their supervisors, and faculty should know there is flexibility to adjust schedules if conditions make travel difficult. We are extending the same understanding to students who feel they are not able to safely return to campus.

Please also note that the campus entrance you typically use may not be the safest option right now. Front entrances have generally received the most clearing and may provide the best access.

Thank you for your patience and care for one another as we work toward reopening. Stay safe, take it slow, and we look forward to welcoming everyone back soon.

It was a long year, but we made it to February, Valkyries!

Snow looks good on Converse. We hope everyone has had a chance to enjoy this rare weather and make a few snow-day memories along the way. These are moments you’ll cherish with your roommates, friends, and fellow Valkyries for years to come.

Members of our Emergency Response Team have been actively working to cut paths and clear stairs and ramps across campus. With freezing temperatures expected again this evening, many areas will refreeze, so please continue to move carefully. What started as fluffy snow is quickly becoming compacted ice and can be extremely slick.

To allow essential personnel continued time to focus on grounds, building systems, and protecting campus infrastructure (including pipes), we will operate with a remote work day for all employees on Monday, February 2. Essential personnel will remain on campus as scheduled.

A reminder of our adjusted hours for today and tomorrow:

Sunday, February 1, 2026

• Essential personnel only on campus
• Montgomery and Wilson Hall open from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• All other buildings remain closed

Dining hours are adjusted to:

Gee Dining Hall:
Brunch: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

We will continue offering grab-and-go drinks, sandwiches, and other snacks during dinner service this evening for students to take back to their rooms.

Freshens: Closed

No scheduled athletic practices

Monday, February 2, 2026

• Essential personnel only on campus
• Montgomery and Wilson Hall open from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• Weisiger and Gibbs will be open for in-season team use only from 12:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
• All other buildings remain closed

Dining hours are adjusted to:

Gee Dining Hall:
Brunch: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Freshens: Closed

Student-athletes will continue to receive guidance from their coaches regarding team schedules, and flexibility will remain in place for those who are unable to safely return to campus. If you have specific questions or concerns, please contact Associate VP/Director of Athletics Jenn Bell at jennifer.bell@converse.edu.

Our goal is to start re-opening access to other campus areas Tuesday afternoon to allow faculty and staff who are able to safely reach campus time to prepare for the learning days ahead. However, we continue to recognize that several roadways, including some primary routes, remain impassable as of this afternoon. Personal safety must come first, and faculty and staff should stay in close communication with their supervisors regarding individual plans.

We are carefully considering plans for our spring term scheduled to start on Wednesday, February 4, and will be working closely with faculty to assess feasibility and to extend flexibility for all employees and students who may experience travel delays due to weather. While it is too early to determine whether classes will begin in person or remotely, we are also coordinating with Follett to help ensure physical course materials are ready for students who have not yet picked them up.

More announcements will be coming, so please continue to monitor your Converse email and AlertMedia. Our next update will be provided on Monday, February 2, 2026, with additional guidance for this upcoming week.

Bundle up, move carefully, and remember, Valkyries WILL weather every storm together!

Snow is actively falling across campus, with current accumulations of approximately 3–4 inches and several more hours of snowfall still expected. Roadways are beginning to become very icy, and unnecessary travel is strongly discouraged, as conditions may change rapidly. Wind gusts are also increasing, creating both a bitter wind chill and reduced visibility in some areas.

Our Grounds teams have been on campus throughout the day working to keep priority areas passable, including the front stairs at Wilson Hall to maintain access to Gee Dining. While they are doing everything possible, ongoing snowfall, ice, and wind make it difficult to ensure complete passage at all times. We are grateful for their continued efforts in these challenging conditions.

A few weekend reminders:

Saturday, January 31, 2026

• Essential personnel only on campus
• Montgomery and Wilson Hall open from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• Weisiger will be open for in-season sports only from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. (slight change)
• All other buildings remain closed

Dining hours are adjusted to:

Gee Dining Hall:
Brunch: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Freshens: Closed

Sunday, February 1, 2026

• Essential personnel only on campus
• Montgomery and Wilson Hall open from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• All other buildings remain closed

Dining hours are adjusted to:

Gee Dining Hall:
Brunch: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Freshens: Closed

No scheduled athletic practices.

Members of the Emergency Response Team will continue monitoring conditions throughout this afternoon, evening and again tomorrow morning once snowfall has concluded. We will provide additional communication on Sunday, February 1, regarding operational plans for Monday.

For students returning to campus and new students arriving for the spring term, please check your Converse email for additional details provided yesterday regarding adjusted move-in plans and updated spring orientation schedules. We will continue to share updates as conditions evolve.

Remember to be safe outdoors:

• If it looks wet, assume it’s ice — take slow, careful steps.
• Wear sturdy shoes or boots with good traction.
• Bundle up in layers, hats, gloves, and scarves. Wind chills are no joke today.
• Limit time outdoors when possible.
• And if you head out to enjoy the snow, please keep it safe (snow angels encouraged, sledding down stairs discouraged).

Share your favorite snow-day photos from wherever you are (tag or DM us on Instagram) and help us spread a little Converse winter cheer!

With snow still present in several areas around campus and across surrounding roadways, it’s hard to believe we are here again, but Spartanburg is currently under another Winter Storm Warning, with a high probability of a significant snow event bringing up to several inches of accumulation. Because of the expected precipitation, frigid temperatures, and wet conditions, snowfall is likely to quickly transition to ice, creating slick and hazardous surfaces.

Based on current National Weather Service forecasts, snowfall could begin as early as Friday evening, with the heaviest accumulation anticipated between approximately 7:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m on Saturday, January 31, 2026. Much of the area is expected to remain below freezing continuously from Friday evening through Monday afternoon. We anticipate particularly icy conditions from Sunday into Monday, along with widespread single-digit temperatures and wind chills.

To adequate prepare campus for this likely event:

• Athletics has been working closely with opposing institutions to adjust travel plans both to campus and for off-site competitions and activities as needed. Student-athletes should continue to look to their coaches for the most up-to-date information regarding any schedule adjustments for this weekend.
• Outside guests renting campus facilities have been informed of current and anticipated conditions, and alternative plans are being coordinated as needed to accommodate weather-related impacts.
• Our Facilities and Grounds teams will pretreat priority areas as conditions allow this afternoon, including priority walkways, building entry points, and select roadways. Please note that treatment access may be limited in areas where vehicles are already parked.
• At this time, there is a lower risk of widespread power outages; however, we continue to maintain contingency plans in case we experience short-term interruptions.
• We are continuing to coordinate with Residential Life and Student Orientation to adjust plans for new incoming residential students and new student orientation currently scheduled for early next week.

Adjustments to Building and Dining Access this Weekend

Please take note of the following adjustments to operations for this weekend:

Friday, January 30, 2026

• Normal schedules for classes and on campus work
• Montgomery will close at 10 p.m. Weisiger will close at 10:30 p.m. All other campus buildings will close at 9 p.m.
• Dining will retain normal operating hours

Saturday, January 31, 2026

• Essential personnel only on campus
• Montgomery and Wilson Hall open from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
• Weisiger will be open for in-season sports only from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
• All other buildings remain closed.

Dining hours are adjusted to:

Freshens: Closed

Gee Dining Hall:
Brunch: 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Dinner: 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Anticipated Adjustments for Next Week

All employees should tentatively prepare for remote work on Monday and Tuesday. Based on current forecasts, we may need to move to essential operations only during those two days, which would include adjusted access to buildings, reduced dining hours, and essential personnel only on campus to support our facilities and residential students. Supervisors are asked to work with their teams on remote options should this decision be finalized. This approach helps minimize vehicle traffic, supports more effective clearing of parking lots, assists with securing buildings, and enables our teams to focus on grounds management while reducing unnecessary movement and risk across campus.

Since class schedules are not a factor at this time, we anticipate communicating any decisions or changes to operating plans for Monday on Sunday morning, February 1, once we have more insight into campus conditions.

Important Winter Weather Reminders

Community members should use extreme caution when navigating campus. Please walk slowly, wear appropriate footwear, and allow extra travel time. Any remaining patches of ice may soon be hidden beneath a fresh layer of snow. In addition, with prolonged extremely cold temperatures expected, including potential single-digit temperatures and dangerous wind chills Sunday into Monday, please also take precautions to prevent frostbite by limiting time outdoors and dressing in warm, layered clothing with covered extremities.