Ohio University students have yet to attend a full week of classes since week one of Spring Semester after the university closed Monday due to weather.
Students and employees were first emailed and texted that OU would delay its opening on Monday until 11 a.m., but in a subsequent alert, the university canceled all classes for the day. All university buildings closed except for dining and residence halls, Baker University Center, Ping Center and Alden Library.
Officials said the closure — the second one this semester — was primarily to keep commuters safe.
“(The snow day) had more to do with our commuting students, our faculty, our staff, in terms of their ability to get on the campus,” Vice President for Student Affairs Ryan Lombardi said. “For students who live on campus, it’s not as difficult to get around; temperatures aren’t dangerous(ly) cold or anything like that.”
Last week’s closure was the first winter weather closure since 2009.
Public universities are required to be in session a particular number of days as dictated by the Ohio Board of Regents. A representative from the board didn’t return a request for comment as of press time to specify the number.
OU already budgets snow days into the academic calendar, though, so it’s not a problem when it’s necessary to cancel class, Lombardi said.
“(We have had) no formal conversations about what we need to do because at this point (we) don’t think it’s an issue for us yet,” Lombardi said.
In 1993, the university closed for four days following several inches of snow and rain, said Jenny Hall-Jones, dean of students, who was an OU undergraduate student at the time. The university closed because many students who had left for a long weekend couldn’t travel back to Athens.
OU was on the quarter system at the time, and students only had 10 weeks of class. To make up the missed days, the university held weekend classes.
“It was an entire week and you can’t miss that. We had to go to Saturday classes,” Hall-Jones recalled.
The first Saturday was a Tuesday schedule, the second Saturday was a Wednesday schedule and so on, Hall-Jones said.
It’s unlikely OU will be forced to take such measures now.
Though Athens was under a Level 2 Snow Emergency on Monday, surrounding counties, including Vinton County, were under a Level 3 Snow Emergency.
Drivers can’t be on the roads under a Level 3 Snow Emergency.
Athens County also closed for the day because many roads weren’t cleared, said Athens County Commissioner Lenny Eliason.
Exact numbers for the city’s budget allocated for salt and other emergencies fluctuate, and updated numbers weren’t available, said Ron Lucas, Athens’ deputy service-safety director.
The city owns five trucks that plow and salt the roads, but competing with surrounding counties for salt has resulted in a minor shortage in Athens, Lucas said.
“Competing for salt, it’s been hard to get,” he said.
Miriam Shadis, a history professor at OU who lives in Athens County, said she didn’t see a snow plow pass her street until about 2 p.m.
“To me, it made sense to try to open the university as soon as possible, but it also made sense to recognize that wasn’t going to work and just literally call it a day,” Shadis said.
Faculty will have to adjust their lectures and assignments to keep up with the syllabus, including Shadis, who is condensing a discussion planned for three classes into two.
Not all professors will see a significant effect, though, because the university closed on Tuesday last week. Under the university’s schedule, most classes meet either on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, or on Tuesday and Thursday.
“I think at some point, I would just have to let some stuff go from the syllabus,” Shadis said in an email. “But one or two days aren’t too bad.”
Some students spent their free time Monday holding snowball fights on College Green or building snowmen throughout campus.
Other state universities aren’t as quick to cancel classes.
“Generally we don’t close,” Emily Vincent, director of media relations at Kent State said. “As long as there’s not a concern for public safety … we keep classes open.”
Athens is predicted to experience some precipitation with temperatures in the 20s to 30s, according to the National Weather Service’s seven-day forecast.
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