For the many areas being pounded by snow south of New England, it’s understandable for a snow emergency to be in effect. But for a city fully equipped with snow plows and sidewalk salt a’plenty, it’s almost embarrassing to have so many business and schools closing &- especially with no snow in sight.
Boston declared a snow emergency for yesterday’s supposed first blizzard of 2010. But with the temperature hardly dropping below 32 and hardly more than flurries at maximum, the city decided to cancel its “emergency” by 6 p.m.
Although Boston University was one of the last colleges in Boston to call off classes, its decision was still premature. While Boston College, Suffolk University, Northeastern University, Tufts University and Emerson College students enjoyed the day off, BU’s campus lingered open until an announcement was made a little after 1 p.m. that the school’s Charles River Campus would be closed starting at 2 p.m. The Fitness and Recreation center, however, remained open for recreational purposes, while all credit and non-credit classes were also cancelled.
A snow day is celebration for all, but certainly not when there is no snow to celebrate. What’s worse is that it is more of a nuisance than anything if it is only a cancellation more than halfway through the day. Most students had already finished classes by the time a snow day had been announced at BU. Furthermore, by the time the announcement came, it was being estimated that the worst of what was to come was, in fact, not actually coming.
Initially, the city expected about 10 inches of snowfall between the hours of 8 a.m. Wednesday and 1 a.m. Thursday, sending residents into a panic, as grocery store checkouts were jam-packed and students toyed with the idea of further putting off papers in hopes of a day off. Instead, BU decided to meet the snowstorm that fooled us all halfway. Too bad the snowpocalypse stood us up.
The University should have gone all or nothing. Dancing around predicted snowfall is never a good choice, whether there had been an absolute slammer or not. BU was trying to make a deal with the devil leaving its faculty and students up in the air while trying to squeeze in an extra day.
The private university had professors who were unwilling to make the commute canceling classes and students hopeful for snow skipping, regardless, leaving the decision ultimately as one that had little positive effect on the campus, and an even worse effect on those decision-makers who probably tirelessly argued either for or against the school’s cancellation.
Yesterday was going to be a waste of time, regardless of Mother Nature’s estimated time of arrival. BU was just contributing to the mess.
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