With recent weather changes, North Greenville prepares for storms
Posted by The Skyliner on February 10th, 2010Jamey Williams
Staff Writer
(Photo by Gabe Franco)
Perhaps nothing thrills the heart of a student like the words “snow day.” Classes at North Greenville University have a positive atmosphere that fosters learning and passion, but the fact is that students and faculty love having the day off to frolic in the snow. But how does a snow day come about? How does the administration decide when to cancel classes? And what happens when bad weather hits the area?
Billy Watson, Director of Student Services, has a main focus when dealing with icy weather conditions.
“Our first and foremost thought is safety,” says Watson. The administration monitors the weather closely as soon as the possibility of icy weather is in the forecast. If bad weather is imminent, then they usually go ahead and cancel classes for the next day.
“Timing is a big thing. We try to make a decision by 6 a.m.,” said Watson. He and other faculty drive around the local area, evaluating the condition of the roads before deciding whether or not to close the campus. A decision is made
no later than 7 a.m. to ensure that students and staff have time to be alerted before 8 a.m. classes begin.
When a cancellation of classes has been decided upon, the I.R.I.S. early alert system sends out a text message to cell phones and posts an alert on the NGU website. The school also sends out an email to inform students. The local television stations are also notified so that they can run the alert.
In the unfortunate event of a power outage, all the students are gathered together into a centralized location, such as the cafeteria, where heaters are used to keep warm. There are also emergency generators for the cafeteria so that the students left on campus can still be served meals until power is restored.
Due to the low amount of wintry weather in northern Greenville, there is no cap on the amount of snow days that can be taken. Watson says that if a substantial number of classes have to be cancelled in a given semester, the possibility of make-up days will be considered.
As fun as having a day off from classes is to students and staff alike, harsh weather conditions are a serious issue that has to be carefully considered by the NGU administration. No matter what decision is made in these circumstances, the well-being of the students and faculty takes first priority.
Tags: Spring 2010, Vol. 110 - Issue 3