Ah, a snow day.
For the first time since February 2003, Ohio University canceled classes yesterday because of Athens County's Level 3 snow emergency, inciting celebration among students who would rather sled, sleep and drink than go to class.
The possibility of snow leads students to revert to their elementary-school selves: sitting with roommates around the local TV news, habitually refreshing Weather.com and nursing that glimmer of hope for a day off.
But aside from postponed exams and a weekday of play, declaring the Level 3 snow emergency was a prudent move by Sheriff Pat Kelly, and canceling classes was a good idea on the part of Ohio University President Roderick McDavis. The roads and sidewalks were treacherous, and as important as education is, safety should also be a top priority.
Unfortunately, many students didn't know about the university's closing until they read it on Facebook, received text messages about it or otherwise heard it from friends. The university's staggered e-mail system is unavoidable, but some students never received their messages from Kent Smith, vice president for Student Affairs - rendering the e-mails basically useless. Although inclement weather is rare, it would be nice to know that the system will be timely when the unexpected pops up.
The university's frequently updated emergency Web site is helpful, but only if students know it exists. There was a link from the Ohio home page, but it was too small to be easily noticed. A prominently placed link from the Ohio Students page would be another improvement - many students bypass the home page altogether.
We hope the university can learn from the snow day, even as classes are back in session and Athens slips back into its usual business.
But hey, we got a snow day.
Editorials represent the views of The Post's executive editors.
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