Sub-zero wind chill temperatures, icy and slushy sidewalks, and a winter weather advisory from the National Weather Service—yet no snow days? It feels as if ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University truly doubled down on its “no snow day” policy for on-campus students. Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, was the most frigid day of the year thus far, with temperatures reaching . Wind chills dropped to C) throughout Berrien County, but there was no official “snow day.”
Snow days used to be fun—an unexpected but highly celebrated break from school. They were a wonderful time for students to unwind and enjoy winter activities such as snowball fights, snowman building, and sledding! Such a refresher is much needed during the darkest period of the year. Katie Davis, the current vice president of public relations for the ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University Student Association, wrote an article last year discussing the benefits of snow days.
Currently, the “snow day” policy, according to the Office of Campus Safety, states that “Campus operations are likely to proceed like any other work/school day if:
- Weather conditions are reasonable,
- Community roads can be navigated,
- The University can effectively maintain campus roads, sidewalks, and building entrances."
Despite the winter weather advisory, the administration’s officer-in-charge determined that weather conditions on Tuesday did not meet these criteria despite the icy roads, heavy snowfall and frigid temperatures.
Ben Panigot, the assistant vice president of campus safety, said, “When discussing the impacts of travel to/from campus—snow/ice conditions will typically impact the whole campus. When looking at only temperature/windchill conditions, the campus-wide impacts are typically not seen until we reach lower windchill levels with risks of frostbite in minimal exposures. Due to that consideration, the decision to move individual classes and work/committee assignments to remote options was delegated to individual teachers, supervisors, and committee chairs.”
Certain essential workers and, according to the Office of Campus Safety, “physical plant areas, Campus Safety, Dining Services and residence hall workers” are required to work despite these frigid conditions because ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ is a residential campus. Going to work in these conditions is truly an act of service to our community. These workers deserve our appreciation for their hard work.
Another group of people who commute are our community students who face academic pressure to attend classes despite the inclement weather. As a residential student without a car, I was unsure how navigable community roads were, but I can imagine the roads were rather treacherous. The even warned about drifting risks due to light snow, wind and icy surfaces.
Fortunately, I had remote classes on Tuesday and stayed indoors, but others were not so lucky. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic came the rise of remote learning and the fall of the “snow day” for students in continental climates globally. In accordance with the Office of Campus Safety, in the event of severe winter weather, teachers provided students with directions on how to proceed with their learning for that day. On this occasion, students were warned via email at 6:58 p.m. the day before that classes were projected to proceed as normal. Thankfully, understanding our circumstances, some professors across campus opted for remote learning.
Is there a reason why ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ seems so dead-set on holding in-person classes? According to the , the 2025 spring semester is scheduled to have only 66 days. Spring 2023-2027 will follow this same pattern, while spring 2028-2029 is projected to have 71 days. The fall semesters from 2024-2028 all have 68 days. This tighter schedule makes it understandable that ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ is more rigid about keeping classes running.
Among my circle of friends—and probably across campus—was an undeniable air of confusion as we anxiously refreshed our inboxes. “Class has been canceled.” “We will meet remotely.” These were the golden words students hoped to read. The unlucky ones received confirmation that class would proceed as scheduled, while some found themselves in a chaotic mix of both. Perhaps a better way to address this uncertainty is to have a set of criteria to mitigate confusion among students.
However, there are some pros and cons to considering this more bureaucratic approach rather than the current autonomous one. A bureaucratic approach with criteria for handling class cancellations and remote learning offers a few benefits—primarily consistency, fairness and better communication. If the weather is predicted to reach a certain threshold, students can expect to adjust their schedules accordingly. In turn, all students, regardless of where they live or how far they commute, are subject to the same rules, which can mitigate feelings of unfairness. With such criteria, ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ can send university-wide communications, which will be more effective and inclusive.
There are also drawbacks to a more bureaucratic approach. One issue is its rigidity; strict criteria might make it difficult for the administration to adjust to rapidly changing weather conditions, leading to a lack of nuance needed to account for unpredictable weather. Secondly, there may be resistance to change, as a significant portion of students and faculty may prefer the flexibility and autonomy of the status quo. If this autonomy is taken, people may feel resentment towards the higher-ups for being too controlling.
I think ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ should be more understanding with students concerning weather conditions and be flexible with its in-person policy. However, one thing is clear: There are no more “snow days” for us.
Note: For further context, see this article that highlights student reactions to the lack of class cancellations on January 21.
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, ¶·Å£ÆåÅÆ University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.