Editorial: Pitt’s weather response was not right for conditions

‘ ‘ ‘ Yesterday’s weather was unequivocally bad. A mixture of rain, sleet and snow blanketed… ‘ ‘ ‘ Yesterday’s weather was unequivocally bad. A mixture of rain, sleet and snow blanketed the area for the majority of the day, and a slippery layer of slush covered nearly every sidewalk, making walking, especially up and down hills, almost impossible. But Pitt students had to grit their teeth and bear it, because they had to get to class. ‘ ‘ ‘ The weather was bad enough for two other schools in the area, Point Park and Duquesne universities, to cancel their classes. Point Park shut classroom doors at 4 p.m., while Duquesne held classes only between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Yet the only cancellations at Pitt were at the discretion of professors, forcing many students to brave the treacherous conditions into the late evening. (See story, Page 1.) ‘ ‘ ‘ Frankly, it’s amazing that Pitt stayed open. Pitt’s administration should have cancelled classes, or at the very least cancelled evening sessions and perhaps this morning’s, depending on conditions. The weather was simply worse than either students or the University itself were prepared to deal with. ‘ ‘ ‘ Consider the fact that many sidewalks, including those going up some of the steepest hills on campus, were only partially cleared until late in the afternoon, and almost none of the campus walkways were salted to prevent people from slipping. If the University is going to remain in session in inclement weather, then it needs to address weather-related problems in a timely manner so that students and faculty can remain safe. ‘ ‘ ‘ And it’s not as though the storm came as a surprise, either. Weather forecasts were predicting snow and freezing rain as early as Monday evening. Pitt could have easily prepared the sidewalks with extra salt and made sure they were shoveled quickly, but instead the paths stayed slippery throughout the day. ‘ ‘ ‘ In addition to inadequately cleared sidewalks and pathways, neither the University shuttle system or the Port Authority were able to fully cope with the weather. Some Pitt shuttles had to stop partway through routes because they couldn’t handle the roads, and the city buses faced numerous delays throughout the day. ‘ ‘ ‘ These situations not only make it difficult for students living on campus to get to class safely, but they also make it even harder for off-campus students and faculty to commute. ‘ ‘ ‘ It’s true that today’s weather was not as intense as it was on Feb. 12, 2007, the last time that Pitt cancelled classes because of winter weather ‘not;’mdash; on that date, Pitt suspended classes from 4 p.m. until noon the next day. But the conditions yesterday were still poor enough to warrant at least a partial cancellation. ‘ ‘ ‘ The fact is that Pitt’s administration failed to take the forecasts, the local geography and the safety of students and faculty into account. We realize that administrators are reluctant to cancel classes because of the lost time it means in the classroom, but the safety of students and faculty should come first. And in the event that Pitt isn’t prepared to cancel classes outright, it should be prepared to deal with the weather in a timely and effective manner.