Snow forces U. to close, cancel night classes

Escort, SEPTA shut down Just eight days after the last weather-related University closing, it happened again. Yesterday at 3 p.m., the University officially closed because of yet another winter storm. All evening classes, for both the College of General Studies and the Wharton Evening School, were cancelled, and only essential personnel had to report to work. But according to Executive Vice President Janet Hale, the decision had not been made whether to keep the University closed today as of 9 p.m. last night. Hale said the availability of transportation and the condition of University walkways were the main criteria that she, along with Interim President Claire Fagin and Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson, would use to make the final call. Travel through campus and around the city was next to impossible yesterday afternoon, as the icy conditions shut down the University Escort Service, Pennbus and the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority. And although walking was also treacherous, the Walking Escort Service remained open. Overall, though, according to sources at key Philadelphia agencies, this storm seems to have caused fewer problems than last week's, which was considered the worst ice storm the city has seen in 20 years. According to Clarena Tolson, Philadelphia Streets Department deputy commissioner, no streets had to be closed yesterday because of the storm. She added that the department had an easier time dealing with this storm because they had time to plan for it. "There was a little more advanced warning on this one," Tolson said. But on campus the warning was little consolation to students trying to navigate the icy University paths. College sophomore Melissa Kaplan attended the men's basketball game at the Palestra, and then found herself virtually skating back to her High Rise dormitory room. "What a nightmare," Kaplan said. "From the Palestra to High Rise North, could it be any farther? Literally I saw somebody slide down the side of the [38th Street] bridge." College junior Liz Fekete, who returned to High Rise North from Van Pelt Library at 10:30 p.m., found the combination of slush and ice especially troublesome. "There were people slipping all over the place and sloshing around," she said. "It was just a big mess." Despite problems with other modes of transportation, the Philadelphia International Airport was fully operational all day, according to spokesperson Mark Pesce. Pesce said that although 40 percent of the 1100 flights going in and out of the airport were either delayed or cancelled, the problems were due to bad weather at other airports. The Philadelphia Electric Company reported no power outages in the city as of 6:30 p.m., a sharp contrast to the 400,000 customers who lost power last weekend. According to spokesperson Ruth Forman, the difference was due to the fact that, as of 6:30 p.m., there was no ice on the city's power lines. By 9 p.m., however, as the rain began to freeze, at least one neighborhood in Center City had lost power. At the University, the storm also caused a number of pipes, radiators and pre-heat coils to burst around campus. Most notably, a broken pre-heat coil in Bennett Hall shut down the English Department at 11:30 a.m., and caused the ceiling of the Penniman Library to crash. Still, most students seemed to be concerned mainly with whether or not classes will be held today. "I'm really hoping they close [the University] down," Kaplan said. "I'm really behind on my reading."