We haven't been lucky enough to have a snow day this school year.
On Jan. 29, 2009, Ball State University canceled class after 12.5 inches of snow fell. In 2007, class was canceled for two straight days because of the 11-inch snowfall.
Once we left grade school, snow days became a lot less expected. So, now, whenever we are rewarded by the weather gods with a wondrous snow day away from our college courses and responsibilities, it feels like we've hit the jackpot and found the Holy Grail.
It's difficult to predict exactly how much of the predicted 5 to 9 inches of snow we will actually end up getting. But it is predictable that wind gusts of up to 35 mph will make keeping sidewalks and emergency exits clear nearly impossible.
We received 9.5 inches of snow on Friday, and now we may end up with double that amount on the ground after this snowstorm passes through. That's a lot of snow drifting as the wind blows it around.
We know we are here for an education. But if we can't walk to the buildings that provide that education without wiping out every few feet, then classes need to be canceled.
Facilities Planning and Management do a great job of keeping the campus beautiful when the weather is nice. They also work extremely hard to keep the students safe when the weather is nasty. But, this year, the call to cancel needs to be made much earlier than last year. Students and faculty had already traveled to campus for their 8 and 9 a.m. classes when they received the e-mails and text messages saying the university was closing.
If the weather is rapidly changing around the time the cancellation call needs to be made, a 1- or 2-hour delay would be better than making students and staff drive or walk through icy, drift-covered roads and sidewalks to get to class.
Area schools had already delayed classes Monday night so they would have more time to make decisions in the morning. Maybe that wouldn't be such a bad idea for Ball State?
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