For those who are living under a rock, it snowed yesterday. A lot.

Meteorologists estimated 1 to 2 inches of snowfall per hour in State College. It was snowing before 8 a.m. yesterday as students prepared for their morning classes. It continued to snow steadily well into the afternoon and early evening.

However, some students who diligently trudged out to class, trying to be on time for 8 a.m. courses, were met with nothing for their efforts. Classes were in fact canceled much later in the morning than usual.

Typically, the decision to cancel classes or close the university is made around 4 a.m., and the announcement is posted to www.wpsu.psu.edu/closings.html and live.psu.edu.

But yesterday's notification came minutes after 8 a.m., at which point students and professors were already at class. After the cancellation was made, some lectures went for the full period, with instructors and students learning only after class ended that they should not have been there in the first place.

In other cases, professors met students in their respective classrooms, only to tell them to head back home. Some labs went on as scheduled with the students who attended.

The late cancellation decision was an inconvenience, yes.

But, it was also unsafe.

What about students and professors who live away from downtown? To be on time to an 8 a.m. class, those students had to leave before the cancellation was even announced. Some students and professors live close enough to take public transit, and only wasted time and bus fare this morning.

However, commuter students who live outside the Centre Area Transportation Authority bus system must drive to campus.

Yesterday's late announcement forced conscientious students who wanted to be on time to drive in treacherous conditions.

Professors and faculty, a large majority of whom live several miles away from Penn State, also had to navigate the snowy roads yesterday. Driving on the roads yesterday was extremely difficult and dangerous.

To the university administration: If you are going to cancel classes for snow, fine.

But don't do it at the last possible second, causing confusion and forcing some to head into hazardous road conditions.