Last week’s snowfall gave students and faculty an extended break. Classes were canceled for two days due to hazardous road conditions.
“I did have to drive to work a couple times,” business management student Sana Swinson said. “For the first couple days the roads were a little scary to drive on, but I didn’t leave until they had melted a little bit.”
Resident students on campus were met with limited food choices.
“The road in front of my apartment was very icy so we were trapped there for a few days. “We survived pretty much on ramen noodles,” sophomore radiology student Morgan Austin-Cooper said.
Austin-Cooper said she enjoyed the snow days at first and spent time sledding with her roommate.
“We went sledding a couple days, but one time when we were sledding my roommate actually broke her thumb, so that ended pretty quickly,” Austin-Cooper said.
When the university closes, there sometimes are concerns about class schedules.
“I feel like because we missed class, I feel like now it’s going to be sped up a little more. Usually, the first couple days of class are a like more laid back, but now, it’s like we have to go full throttle,” Swinson said.
Whenever there is inclement weather, APSU follows a protocol to promote safety. The Inclement Weather Protocol for closing or changing campus hours is located on the APSU Police website.
According to the document, “The decision to close the university is based on analysis of current conditions by the National Weather Service, local weather outlets and information provided to University officials by city, county and state entities on road conditions.”
Also, campus police survey campus conditions.
The Provost is the one person who has authority to close campus, based on information from the Vice President for Administration and Finance and the Director of Public Safety.
When the Provost makes the decision to close, APSU notifies the community in several ways. A message of closure is recorded on APSU’s main telephone line, notifications are posted on APSU’s website, and messages are sent via email, social media, and the APSU Alert text system. Public Relations and Marketing staff are responsible for getting these messages to the APSU community.
For more detailed information on the Inclement Weather Protocol, please visit http://www.apsu.edu/police/weather-protocol.php.
