Weather Closures
From time to time there may be a need for the university to close facilities due to existing or developing weather conditions. If there is a university wide closure this decision will be made by the Provost Office. Decisions will typically be made by 3:00 p.m. Faculty will be notified by Outreach staff via email in the event of this type of closure. Notification will also be posted on the NIU website at www.niu.edu/weather/
There may be other times when the main campus in DeKalb remains open but evening off-campus classes are cancelled. If this happens and your course is being cancelled due to current or impending weather conditions, you will be notified by Outreach staff via email as soon as possible. Decisions will typically be made by 3:00 p.m. Once you are notified of a closure or your site, you should immediately initiate your phone calling tree so students can be notified. If you use Blackboard for your course, you can let students know ahead of time you post notice there in the event of a course cancellation.
Weather conditions in the northern Illinois region can change rapidly. There may be times when the university does not make a decision to formally close and yet you determine driving conditions are such you cannot make it to your teaching site. If you decide to cancel your class and there has been no university deemed closure, you should immediately initiate your phone calling tree to notify your students or post the information on your course Blackboard site if you have indicated to students this will be the means of notification. If the course is held at one of the Outreach Centers, please also notify the appropriate Outreach Center evening support staff. If the course is held at a non-NIU site, please notify Andrew Kopecky at akopecky@niu.edu or (815) 753-8788.
Holiday Closures
Off-campus courses adhere to the same holiday closure schedule as the main campus. These closures include Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving break, Christmas break, and Martin Luther King Day. Holiday closure information can be viewed on the NIU academic calendar at www.niucalendar.niu.edu.
For those teaching at a non-NIU regional site, please be aware these sites may observe holiday dates which are different from NIU holiday closures. Please contact Andrew Kopecky at 815.753.8788 for dates or alternative sites for those dates.
Stipends
Adjunct instructors must file their W-4’s with the NIU Payroll Office and have the I-9 and Student Loan forms on file. NIU cannot process payments to affiliates without these forms. Please contact your academic department if you have questions. Regular NIU faculty receive their pay for off-campus teaching as part of their regular paycheck. Please contact your academic department or your college’s external programming office with specific questions about payroll. NIU does not pay honoraria or expenses to guest lecturers invited to participate in class presentations.
Travel
Meal and travel allowances are not available for adjunct instructors. If you have a question related to your status, you should contact your college’s external programming office. If you are eligible for travel reimbursement, you should complete a NIU Travel Voucher and submit it, along with your applicable receipts to the NIU Outreach Business Office.
Travel vouchers should be submitted by the fourth of the month after the month expenses were incurred. It is especially important that summer travel (before June 30) be submitted in a timely fashion due to the change in the fiscal year. Travel forms are available online at: http://www.niu.edu/accounting/forms/index.shtml
NIU Outreach arranges for university transportation and prepares transportation request forms. Carpooling is encouraged whenever possible for off-campus teaching faculty. If you have a university car reserved and must cancel this reservation, you must call NIU Transportation 24 hours in advance at 815.753.1558. Failure to do so will result in charges being assessed.
Current university travel regulations allow authorized users of privately owned vehicles to be reimbursed for mileage to and from the teaching site and their official NIU office location or their place of residence, whichever is less, when not assigned a university vehicle.