Do universities ever cancel class? Article

3/2/2007
Volume: 103
Number: 43
Do universities ever cancel class?
Lindsey Cook
NI News Writer
As an ice storm rolled through the Cedar Valley on Friday and Saturday, student panthers waited with baited breath to see if their classes would be cancelled.

Monday morning came, and most of the schools in the Cedar Valley closed, including Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Price Lab Schools, and yet, UNI stayed open.

This came as a surprise to senior Tang Abdoul. “I think if the weather is really bad and the roads are difficult to drive on, it would be unfair to students who don’t live on campus to drive in bad weather or miss class because of it. “Not everyone who goes to UNI lives on campus.”

So who decides just how dangerous the roads and sidewalks have to be for UNI to cancel classes?

Drumroll please ...

That would be James Lubker, Interim Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

According to Lubker, there are criteria for canceling classes; it’s not just up to him to decide.

“Criteria are variable. If the crews can get the streets, sidewalks and entries reasonably clear, we stay open,” Lubker said. “Since universities are very largely residential, there is much less reason to close a university than to close a high school or a community college.”

He also pointed out that the last time the university cancelled classes was during finals week last year when classes were delayed till 10 a.m.

“That instance last winter we delayed because at 6 a.m. the snow was coming down at an inch or more an hour and the crews had been able to clear the streets and sidewalks but not the stairs or entries and needed some more time,” Lubker said.

While some were camped out in their dorms on Sunday or stuck in their apartments, the decision on whether or not they should cancel classes on Monday was taking place. “The Vice-President for Administration and Finance, the Director of Public Safety and I were on the phone several times Sunday,” Lubker said.

“Each of us has several very good web-sites for weather, including radar reporting. By late Sunday afternoon it was clear that we were not going to receive any more ice and little, if any, more snow. The crews were ahead of things we agreed that we could both open the campus and hold classes.” Lubker points out as well that all three of the Regents Universities were open on Monday.

Lubker said, “We realize that someone will be upset no matter what decision we make. We just try to make the best decision we are able to, with the information available to us.”