With the harsh winter weather Michigan has been facing, Eastern Michigan University has had to face some tough choices on whether to cancel classes or not.
Police Chief Matt Lige is part of the council that decides if campus shuts down due to weather, along with the facilities team, the president and the provost. When the forecast shows inclement weather, the group meets to discuss the windchill, precipitation rates and volume of snow, Lige said.
“I consider the nature of the weather forecast at that time and the predicted forecast,” Lige said.
Lige said the group also must consider the ability for the sidewalks to be cleared of snow and salted.
An email sent by the communications department said the group reviews the latest information from the National Weather Service and considers the condition of the roads leading to the university and the conditions on campus.
The final decision on whether to close or not is up to the university president, Lige said.
“The primary focus is balancing academic needs with the safety and well being of the campus community,” the communications department statement said.
Although Lige said the decision the university makes isn’t always the right one, sometimes the forecast is wrong. There are days when the school closed, but there wasn’t as much snow as predicted and the conditions would have been fine for students to go to class. Other times the university stays open, and the precipitation is far more than predicted.
Students living on campus and commuting to school said the university doesn’t cancel class often enough.
Brian Walker, an EMU freshman studying musical theater who lives on campus, said the school doesn’t shut down enough.
“From my experience they don’t close as often as I’d think they would,” Walker said.
Walker said some of the sidewalks can be tricky when it’s snowed a lot, and it’s understandable that commuters may skip class for their safety.
EMU commuter Vivi Zegrean said the school doesn’t close enough. While Zegrean’s commute is usually 25 minutes, with bad snow it’s extended to 40 minutes. The conditions on the roads have been bad enough that Zegrean has missed classes, she said. The conditions on campus aren’t great either; it can get slushy and slippery on the sidewalks, Zegrean said.
“I’ve already fallen a few times,” Zegrean said.
Eastern junior Bella Bonemer said the school should cancel more, and the sidewalks should be salted more often. Bonemer said their roommate fell and hit their head.
Marie Bugg is a senior who commutes to Eastern. Bugg said although the school can’t close every time it snows, there were days this semester when the school should have been closed. On campus there isn’t enough being done to make sure students can get around safely, Bugg said.
“A few weeks ago, I passed by somebody who slipped and fell flat out on their back because there wasn’t enough salt on the path,” Bugg said.
When the university shuts down, it means all campus activities are cancelled, including academics and clubs, Lige said, although the commons and other dining areas will remain open. Students should look at closure notices the school sends out for specifics. More information on what remains open can be found on Eastern’s website.
