Snow Proves to be too Dangerous For School
Rebekah Tucker
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: Opinion
We all know that classes were canceled on Monday and there was a delay yesterday because of the snow. It was nice to have a short, impromptu, break from classes right before the pre-scheduled spring break.
However, when I was walking to class yesterday at 12:30 p.m. I tripped and fell on a patch of ice. Fortunately I was not injured, but the fact still remains that there was a chance I could have been.
Also, I have a few friends who live in Longwood Village who told me that there was so much snow that they could barely move their cars.
I'm not saying that Longwood didn't do what they had to do to keep students safe while keeping academia at the forefront, but I feel that there was still enough snow yesterday to verify another cancellation.
The steps in front of the Cunninghams, behind the student union and behind Ruffner were still iced over enough to cause a lot of slipping and possible serious injuries. The safety of students should be the school's main priority.
Although there was a two-hour delay, the weather was not nearly warm enough to melt any of the snow or ice. And I cannot prove this by any means but I have a feeling that as the day progressed the temperature decreased. As much as I wish to do well in my classes, I'd rather not risk my life to do so.
Also, on Sunday an e-mail was sent out to students warning against driving in the snowy weather. However, not two days later students who do not live on campus were all but forced to drive to school.
Yes, the FAB is available for those students, but the scheduled run is not always the most convenient nor is there always room, especially if every single person who lives off campus rode the FAB to and from campus.
I have been told by my Rotunda colleague Nicole Dales that Chief Beach, Tim Pierson, Wayne McWee and Dick Bratcher are in charge of determining whether or not to call off classes. Perhaps that with short notice and the unpreparedness that was felt with the weather these men did what they felt they had to do. However, I feel that students' safety should have been considered more and the situation could have been handled better.
However, when I was walking to class yesterday at 12:30 p.m. I tripped and fell on a patch of ice. Fortunately I was not injured, but the fact still remains that there was a chance I could have been.
Also, I have a few friends who live in Longwood Village who told me that there was so much snow that they could barely move their cars.
I'm not saying that Longwood didn't do what they had to do to keep students safe while keeping academia at the forefront, but I feel that there was still enough snow yesterday to verify another cancellation.
The steps in front of the Cunninghams, behind the student union and behind Ruffner were still iced over enough to cause a lot of slipping and possible serious injuries. The safety of students should be the school's main priority.
Although there was a two-hour delay, the weather was not nearly warm enough to melt any of the snow or ice. And I cannot prove this by any means but I have a feeling that as the day progressed the temperature decreased. As much as I wish to do well in my classes, I'd rather not risk my life to do so.
Also, on Sunday an e-mail was sent out to students warning against driving in the snowy weather. However, not two days later students who do not live on campus were all but forced to drive to school.
Yes, the FAB is available for those students, but the scheduled run is not always the most convenient nor is there always room, especially if every single person who lives off campus rode the FAB to and from campus.
I have been told by my Rotunda colleague Nicole Dales that Chief Beach, Tim Pierson, Wayne McWee and Dick Bratcher are in charge of determining whether or not to call off classes. Perhaps that with short notice and the unpreparedness that was felt with the weather these men did what they felt they had to do. However, I feel that students' safety should have been considered more and the situation could have been handled better.
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