On Friday of the first week of classes, all classes after 1 p.m. were cancelled. This came as a relief to many students and faculty and staff members, many of whom commute to Behrend. The decision was made with cooperation from several people within the administration in order to keep people safe from the forecasted ice storm, whether they were driving or walking.

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Pamela Silver, distinguished professor of biology and interim associate dean of academic affairs, was one of the administrators involved in making the call of whether or not to cancel classes during the first week of school. Those who decided what to do when the weather is predicted to be bad or takes a turn for the worst must take a lot of things into consideration.

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“It involves thinking about safety. It involves thinking about what is this going to do to people’s class schedules,” Silver said. “The people you mostly worry about are the commuters, but there are still people living on campus and there are still people who have to be there to take care of those people.”

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Although classes were cancelled, the campus can never fully shut down. Students living on campus still need to eat and have access to the Health and Wellness Center, Police and Safety, and many of the offices on campus, such as Admissions and Student Activities, also remained open. So even if classes are cancelled, Maintenance and Operations has to continue working to keep paths and roads clear and traversable.

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Students often use their own discretion when deciding whether or not to come to school. Many of Behrend’s students commute from around the county. Dana Gimber, a junior biology major, commutes from Girard, which is roughly a 30 minute drive from campus.

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“If the roads have been plowed I usually feel pretty comfortable heading out to school,” Gimber said in a recent interview. “After doing this for three years now I’ve learned how to handle driving in all different types of weather that Erie can throw at us, and what the safest route is to take after the weather gets bad.

 

Some professors have attendance policies, and although these policies vary, students are often allowed a few excused absences. In general, it is up to the students to let faculty members know if they will be missing class or letting them know as soon as possible why they missed class. Professors are encouraged to write attendance policies that keep their students’ safety in mind.

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Athletes are impacted by poor weather conditions in particular. When traveling to and from games, the Athletic Department takes recommendations from the bus company that transports the athletes to and from games and matches and PA State Troopers. The teams may have to alter what time they leave to avoid bad weather conditions. Teams coming to Behrend to compete may have to change their plans too. Discretion is also used when deciding whether or not to hold practices.

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“We want to make sure our athletes are safe,” emphasized Brian Streeter, senior athletic director, while discussing what precautions are taken by the Athletic Department.

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The University’s main concern is safety for all people on and off campus when decisions are made regarding any cancellations or postponements. Especially considering often unpredictable weather conditions, students should be thinking about their personal safety when deciding whether or not to drive to school.