York students were baffled on the morning of February 5 when daytime classes weren’t immediately cancelled during a heavy snowstorm.
The storm eventually broke a daily snowfall record, with some areas in the GTA receiving 14 centimetres of snow.
Because almost 50 per cent of York students commute more than 40 minutes to get to campus, the decision to remain open during the proclaimed blizzard was questioned by many.
On Twitter, the reaction to the university’s choice to remain open during the morning, when the storm was at its worst, was largely negative.
“Pretty sure you could have cancelled classes today… If this continues all day, we need to get home too. Just saying,” said @anthony_S32 on Twitter.
During the morning, visibility was very poor, making the commute to school a tricky one.
According to Robert Castle, senior executive officer at the office of the vice-president finance and administration, at 3:30 p.m., York made the decision to cancel classes scheduled for after 5:30 p.m.
Although the campus was closed, this was also received with negative reactions, as by the afternoon, the storm had mostly ended.
Many users on social media pointed out the university closed after most of the snow had fallen and the main roads had been cleared.
Castle says the decision was made based on administration’s tracking of the storm throughout the day and Environment Canada’s warnings of blowing snow across the GTA in the afternoon and evening.
Castle says administration makes the decision to suspend campus operations based on several factors including the amount of snow on the ground, current road conditions, anticipated accumulation, status of other educational institutions, status of public transit, conditions on campus, and administration’s ability to clear walkways and roads.
Ashley Glovasky
Deputy Copy Editor
