Story by Michelle Hawks, Contributing writer

As the spring semester begins and students return to campus, they’ll notice the heat has been turned on and is working in all the buildings and steps have been taken to prepare for the winter months that still lie ahead.

David Burdette, Interim Chief Facilities Officer, said Facilities Management has been working to prepare for the upcoming months.

“We’ve already purchased the salt and necessary winter gear,” Burdette said. “We’ve also repaired all the equipment that needed to be repaired.”

He said they are preparing for all types of weather.

“Two years ago, we had a lot of snow,” Burdette said. “Last year, we didn’t. Kentucky weather is hard to predict.”

He said they will closely monitor the weather and work with other departments on campus as inclement weather approaches. He said he encourages students, faculty and staff to sign up to receive alerts from the university to remain aware of the inclement weather schedule.

Students, faculty and staff recently received an email regarding the inclement weather schedule. According to the email, there will be three categories of inclement weather related actions: the authorization of a University Weather Advisory, University Weather Cancellation of Classes and University Campus Closure.

All three are at the discretion of President Bob Davies.

The email also states that all weather notifications will be communicated through email, the Murray State’s Facebook and Twitter account, the Murray State homepage and WKMS.

Cancellation or delay of classes will be announced through mobile alerts and WPSD.

To receive mobile alerts, students can login to their mygate account and follow the instructions found under the Emergency Mobile Alerts tab on the homepage.