PSU campuses shut down thanks to Mother Nature

By KARA McCONNELL
Collegian Staff Writer

A tired and groggy cheer could be heard all over University Park as each student heard classes were cancelled yesterday. But students at University Park were not the only ones who got a day off compliments of the weather.

While Penn State Erie students had a full day of classes, they were virtually alone in the Penn State system. Most campuses were closed for the entire day with a few starting after a two-hour delay.

The Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle closed early yesterday after attempting to squeeze classes in before Mother Nature arrived. But other Penn State affiliates such as Abington and Altoona colleges decided to close before classes even began yesterday. Impassible roads made it treacherous for students and faculty to commute.

At the New Kensington campus, Carol Rush, the campus executive officer, said there are many factors that lead to the decision to cancel classes.

First, administrators look at how quickly maintenance crews can clear away the snow and ice, Rush said. Then they look at the condition of the roads.

"Classes have been cancelled all day today," she said, "and we won't be able to say about classes tomorrow until 5 in the morning."

Other campuses, such as Penn State Beaver, had a two-hour delay yesterday morning, but classes resumed and continued through the day.

A little bit of freezing rain didn't affect the roads yesterday, said Amy Krebs from the office of University Relations in Beaver Campus.

At the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center of the Geisinger Health System, students weren't the only concern for administrators during the inclement weather.

"This is a hospital. We never close," said Frances Bernier. "We get no mercy."

Bernier, a staff assistant at Geisinger, was not aware of any delays or cancellations around the campus.

Harrisburg Campus was closed for the day, said Don Holtzman, director of Student Affairs at the Harrisburg Campus for the Capitol College.

Day classes had been cancelled since 6 a.m. yesterday, so most students watched the news or listened to the radio to find out about the cancellations.

Although the faculty and staff of some of Penn State affiliates braved the weather, others relied on answering services with brief messages for anyone wondering if weather conditions had caused any cancellations.

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