Blizzard Buries Campus Again: Half-Week Cancelled

Mathew Biadun | News-Editor

Two Eastern Students, Wyatt Poehler & Daniel Sylvester, Atop A Snow Bank: Picture Taken By The Author

Another snowstorm swept across the Northeast last week, refilling snow banks and freezing sidewalks yet again. The snow was intense, with most towns experiencing at least a foot. Plainfield in the north experienced an astonishing twenty-seven inches, while Willimantic received eleven. In response, Eastern cancelled class Monday and Tuesday, with all classes before noon cancelled on Wednesday.

Students rejoiced yet again, albeit with a slightly sleepier atmosphere compared to the January snowstorm. The on-again, off-again nature of class this semester has left many struggling to get into the swing of things and, to use the parlance of the day, to lock in. The long weekend carried a sense of sleepiness, as many spent the days lazily relaxing.

Still, many students did seize the day and take to the snow. Sledding took place at the usual haunts, although not without injury. Sledding on the Occum Hall hill reportedly caused a student injury, leading to the Hall Director of Occum Hall, Ashley Perez, sending an email to remaining students not to sled. Student reaction was unfriendly, comparing the policy to 1984’s Big Brother on Fizz.

Although the snow had stopped by Tuesday evening, conditions remained snowy, with slush on the roads and ice on the sidewalks. Windham Police reported a townwide parking ban for Wednesday, while Windham High cancelled school altogether. A call quickly arose for the same to be done on Eastern, where sidewalks remained frozen.

A number of methods, some more novel than others, were attempted in order to get class cancelled. A Change.org campaign garnered a modest 222 signatures, at the time of writing. Some students tried emailing university officials; some their professors; and some received emails from their professors, unwilling to make the drive to campus themselves.

The ability to cancel classes ultimately lies in the President of the University, Karim Ismaili. Based on weather procedures organized by the Division of Finance and Administration, and with guidance from the ‘Campus Incident Management Team’, the President ultimately makes a decision on classes. In an interview with the Vice President of Finance and Administration, Jeremy Campbell, Campbell told the Campus Lantern that the university worked very hard when discussing cancellations. In cases of big snowstorms, decisions are usually made days in advance, though Campbell emphasized that they prefer not to do this, as changing weather can make early decisions outdated rapidly.

"No one is ever going to get everything right," Campbell said. "But we do the best we can." He noted that the university has multiple contingency plans in case of unexpected weather, and that strict protocols are always followed.

Ultimately, student efforts last week were at least partially successful. Early in the morning last Wednesday, the university cancelled all classes before noon. The decision bore fruit as snow recommenced after six A.M., as other school districts in the state moved from delays to cancellations. The decision not to cancel the full day remained controversial among many, however, especially commuters who were forced to travel slippery interstate roads. Student frustration was rife on Fizz, seen in some selections below:

“Parking ban still in effect.. High schools closing. New reports saying it’s not gonna get better. I love my education ECSU, but I also prioritize my safety as a commuter.” (1.4k Fizzes)

“Genuinely how are commuters supposed to get to class tm“ (769 Fizzes)

“I would love to attend class, but it’s not safe. They haven’t done much to clean up campus and there are plenty of commuters with long trips on dangerous roads.” (391 Fizzes)

“You know what if eastern won’t cancel my classes I’ll cancel them for myself.” (368 Fizzes)

Sadly, the decision to cancel classes came too late to save some. Several students slipped and suffered very real and serious accidents. The tragic incidents are photographed below. 

The status of these victims remains unknown; any information can be sent to the Campus Lantern at lantern@my.easternct.edu.

Classes have been partially cancelled into this week as well, with all classes before noon cancelled yesterday, and all classes before 10AM cancelled today. With the weather beginning to improve, the amount of snow days ahead seems to finally be decreasing. Eastern has had only one full week this semester, leaving many students and professors scrambling to catch up. Time will tell what happens.