Snow Days: A Double-Edged Sword for Students, Faculty

Story posted February 14, 2019 in CommRadio, News by Sebastien Kraft

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Penn State students enjoyed a snow day when classes were cancelled until 5 p.m. after a storm left several inches of snow on the ground Tuesday at University Park.

This is the fourth snow cancellation of the year at University Park and the second of the semester. Freshman finance and accounting major Brandon Szwalbenest expressed his lukewarm feelings toward the recent cancellation. He said that while he enjoys the snow day, he will need to catch up on his own in his accounting class.

“When the snow days happen, I’m always going to be excited because I’m not going to class,” Szwalbenest said. "But long-term, I probably would rather not have had the snow day.”

English professor Jan Babcock has been teaching at Penn State for 16 years. While she has never witnessed quite as many snow days in a given year, she said the closures are justifiable given the long commutes that her colleagues face.

“It’s to stay safe,” Babcock said. “A lot of people, not just students, a lot of staff and faculty commute long distances, and a lot of things can be done online through Canvas, so I don’t think you’re missing too much.”

 

 

Sebastien Kraft is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email sck5271@psu.edu.