Student Assembly

Whereas, many professors have cancelled their regularly scheduled classes due to the inclement weather;

Whereas, many Cornell staff employees have decided to end their workdays early due to unsafe driving conditions and may not report to work tomorrow;

Whereas, many student organizations, such as the Senior Class Campaign, have had to reschedule their meetings or postpone events for the safety of students;

Whereas, the National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for Ithaca¹ ;

Whereas, the closing of Cornell University on February 14, 2007, was poorly executed in that the interests of all members of the Cornell community were not properly taken into account, especially with regards to the timing and feasibility of the decision² ;

Whereas, on February 14, 2007, members of the Cornell community were poorly notified of the university’s decision to close as the announcement was not made until 12:30PM, by which time many students had already finished their classes for the day

Whereas, many felt they lacked the ability to give relevant information and input regarding the circumstances they or other members of their constituency may have faced in such conditions;

Whereas, the Student Assembly recognizes that not having the appropriate walkways cleared in time for classes and other student activities puts students at an unnecessary and unreasonable risk.

¹ National Weather Service. “Hazardous Weather Outlook.” February 25, 2010. http://forecast.weather.gov/showsigwx.php?warnzone=NYZ025&warncounty=NYC109&firewxzone=NYZ025&local_place1=Ithaca+NY&product1=Hazardous+Weather+Outlook (↑)

² Executive Vice President Stephen Golding reportedly stated that the timing of the decision to close on February 14, 2007 could have been managed and communicated more effectively in “Cornell Committee to Review Bad-Weather Policy Following Closing of Campus during Valentine’s Day Snowstorm”. Cornell Chronicle. February 21, 2007. http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Feb07/CU.Closing.Policy.html (↑)