Not cancelling classes was a dangerous move

TO THE EDITOR:

Even though the University has a straightforward inclement weather policy, the decision to hold classes after 10 a.m. Monday was a mistake.

While the actual campus roads and parking lots may have been cleared of ice by the University and deemed safe, this decision did not account for the large number of students who live in off-campus housing.

Many neighborhood roads that sit in the shade remained completely covered by ice through the afternoon on Monday, making it very dangerous for students to be driving to a class that should have been cancelled.

Furthermore, people who rely on bikes and other modes of transportation faced further dangers by attempting to get to campus in these conditions.

Most of the major public school systems in the area, including Orange, Wake, Alamance, and Guilford counties, were closed the entire day.

Other universities in the area — such as UNC-Greensboro — had no school on Monday because of the unsafe conditions.

Everyone knows that academics are the number one goal, but is one day of class really worth risking the safety of thousands of students trying to get there?

Just last year on a morning with icy roads and the failure to delay classes, a bus slid off the road into a telephone poll. Had a person been walking to class at the time, they could have been seriously injured.

The University should just play it safe and never allow a chance for this to happen.

Scott Gunn
Senior
Communication Studies