January has proven to be one of the most brutal winter months so far. The snow, the blistering winds and the extra hour or two added to the day’s commute are all too familiar to the start of the past spring semester.

The past week’s frigid temperatures left NEIU no choice but to close all NEIU campus locations on Tuesday and reopen later the next day. Mike Dizon, Chief Communications Officer commented, “The bitterly cold weather conditions were such that closing all of our university locations – like so many other college campus and schools did in the area that day – was the right thing to do.”

The best way to receive information regarding snow days and late starts is through the N-Alert system. The university N-Alert system sends “security and weather related closures” to students and faculty via email, phone and text messaging. “We encourage those who haven’t already done so to register their contact information into N-Alert via NEIUport,” Dizon adds. NEIU also provided the school closing message on social media. The Northeastern Illinois University Facebook page alerted its followers on Tuesday and Wednesday.

It is important to be prepared for the unexpected during this season in particular.  “We ask members of the university to exercise caution and their best judgment when traveling to and from our university during extreme heat, cold, precipitation or wind,” Dizon added.

The University Parking Office provides assistance to those who park on NEIU campus parking lots. Some of the services provided include motor assistance, jump starts, low tire assistance and vehicle unlock.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides a list of tips to prepare drivers for any kind of weather related incidents. One of the many tips is to carry an emergency kit in your vehicle. The items suggested include extra clothing, blankets, a shovel, an ice-removing scraper and salt. The list goes on and provides information to situations that can happen during and after your commute.

For more information on the services provided by the university like N-Alert, and Parking-related services, visit the NEIU website (http://www.neiu.edu). The list of weather related safety tips can be found on http://ready.gov.