The late cancellation of yesterday's classes by university administrators caused some students to have to attend their 8 a.m. classes.

Elisa Ramseyer (freshman-division of undergraduate studies) said most of the students in her 8 a.m. Math 141 (Calculus with Analytic Geometry II) class were there and were not notified about the cancellation until her teacher received a call toward the end of class.

"I was slightly angry and upset," she said. "But when I got back, I just went right to bed."

Penn State Spokesman Bill Mahon said classes were canceled "minutes after 8 a.m." because of worsening conditions.

The decision was made close to the start of classes because a "conservative forecast" and the storm's later-than-expected arrival made the decision-making process more complex, Penn State spokesman Tysen Kendig said.

"It is a consultative process between the president's office, Office of Physical Plant, University Police Services and the Campus Weather Service," Kendig said. "The decision is based on the forecast, road conditions in surrounding areas and road and sidewalk conditions on campus."

Although classes were canceled, some professors weren't notified immediately and held class.

Ramseyer's professor, Inna Sysoeva, expressed her displeasure with the university.

"When I left home, there was no cancellation," she said. "It was a great inconvenience. I was waiting for cancellation, but I had to go and drive. The university should've canceled class before eight."

Mahon said he was unaware of any professors who continued to hold classes, despite the fact that faculty members might not have been informed of the cancellation. He added there is no penalty for holding class.

He said he is unsure if students who did not attend classes would be penalized.

Although the DuBois and Altoona campuses were closed earlier yesterday morning, Mahon said administrators could not use their circumstances as a basis for canceling University Park classes.

He said weather patterns and snow-removal resources in each area are different, and it was possible University Park could see lower snow accumulations than the other two campuses.

Yumin Moon, Campus Weather Service vice president, said the snowfall began around 6 a.m. yesterday, and the rate of snowfall before 8 a.m. peaked at 6 inches per hour.

Kendig said university business functioned normally throughout the day, but employees were encouraged to go home early and avoid risky travel conditions.

University Faculty Senate and Undergraduate Student Government Senate meetings were also canceled yesterday because of inclement weather.

The university plans to hold all regularly scheduled events today.

"We'll be out throughout the night plowing, salting and doing everything to remove the snow," Kendig said. "We're not expecting additional delays or cancellations because it seems the storm will wind down."

Greg Lee (freshman-information sciences and technology) said he was thrilled to have off.

"I slept all morning," he said. "And later, I plan to play some football or make a snow angel. I just want to have fun and relax on my day off."

To assist snow removal, the university declared a "midnight clear" last night, which means all surface parking lots must be vacant to allow room for plows.

"We never completely close down at Penn State under any circumstances," he said.

The Nittany Lion Inn and the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel allowed faculty who could not travel home to stay overnight for $55 due to the inclement weather.

Moon said temperatures will remain stable through the week -- averaging a 32 degree high and 16 degree low. He said another storm may be headed in Penn State's direction on Friday with a possible accumulation of 2 to 4 inches, although it was too early to accurately predict.

Collegian Staff Writer Bridget Smith contributed to this article.