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Student safety first

When “snowmageddon” is trending on Twitter, you know you’re in for the storm of the year. Despite temperatures of -12 C, winds over 28 km an hour and over 50 cm of anticipated snowfall, Western decided to stay open on Monday.

It wasn’t until around 10:30 a.m. that Western reversed this decision. Some time later, an official press release appeared on Western’s website telling students that exams and classes would be cancelled for the day.

Unfortunately, this news came too late for many Western students who had exams and final classes to attend early Monday morning.

Snowstorms are a dangerous affair and cancelling classes is a serious decision to make. Topping the list of Western’s concerns should be the safety of students. Snowstorms are the root of countless motor vehicle accidents that can jeopardize student safety. Whether those students are driving their cars, on the bus or walking on the sidewalks, icy roads and whiteout conditions decrease reaction time and visibility.

With the storm raging Sunday night, delays to bus service were already apparent Monday morning, causing unpredictable changes to student schedules. To a degree, the onus is on students to get to class on time despite the weather, but a major storm causes severe delays for everyone. Getting ready an hour early still doesn’t guarantee making it to your exam on time — something Western should have considered.

In the days of elementary school, bus closures meant school closures. Western relies heavily on the London Transit Commission’s schedule to gauge whether school should close. But since the LTC remained operational in the morning, so did campus.

Western’s decision to keep campus open was surely motivated by the time of year. Closing the university close to exams would hurt students and faculty. Without class time, students risk falling behind and being ill-prepared for their December finals. And closing other campus operations like The Spoke and The Wave translates to lost revenue for the University Student’s Council.

But such considerations must be balanced with student safety. No matter the time of year, Western should always err on the side of caution when it comes to protecting its students. Forcing them onto campus during inclement weather is not acceptable. What’s worse, Western’s eventual flip-flop took well over half an hour between confirming it to the media and releasing an official statement. In the world of social media and with the immediacy of the internet, there is no excuse for such a delay.

The tardiness of Western’s administration caused undue hassle and risk for students. The University must act decisively and preventatively to ensure students aren’t forced into another snowmageddon.

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