U. closes cancels all classes

After three days of battling snow, ice and bitter cold, the University has finally given in to Mother Nature and shut down. Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson and Executive Vice President Janet Hale decided at about 6:30 p.m. yesterday, after consulting with sources in the University, city and state, not to open the University today. At 6:57 p.m., the message that today's classes would be cancelled was posted on 898-MELT, the University's Emergency Information Line. "Our feeling was, we're raising our hands and saying 'I surrender,'" Interim President Claire Fagin said. "This just seemed to be beyond anything any of us had experienced." According to Hale, the main factor in last night's decision was the state-wide energy shortage, which triggered power outages around the city. Other factors taken into consideration, though, included icy roads, frigid weather and the possibility of more snowfall today. Today's closure comes one day after the University was forced to both open late and shut down early, operating for a total of only three hours. Hale said the University opened two hours late yesterday because Physical Plant had run out of salt, and was awaiting a shipment of limestone to use on the ice. The 2 p.m. closing, however, came after the Philadelphia Electric Company informed the University that its power grid might be shut down in the afternoon as part of the state's energy conservation effort. "We did not want to be in a position of closing down after PECO had turned the lights out," Lazerson said. PECO did not end up shutting off the University's power, but a strong possibility remains that they will do so today, he added. "We are looking at a situation in the region where all of the backup supports?are really strained to the limit," Lazerson said. Emergency services, transportation -- both on and off campus -- and salt and sand are among the limited resources. Escort Services was closed last night for the third straight day. Lazerson said the decision to close the University was made early for the sake of students and faculty. "Given the chance that we would recommend closing at two or three or four or five in the morning," he said, "it made more sense to get the word out quickly so that people could plan." Hale, Lazerson and Fagin were unable to say whether or not the closing would force the University to add on days at the end of the semester, or whether the University would be able to re-open tomorrow. "I guess it's a wait-and-see," Lazerson said. Since the bad weather hit Sunday, Fagin has said she worried that closing the University would be unfair to students. But if the scream that went up in Stouffer Dining Hall after the closing was announced was any indication, students did not share Fagin's concern. In fact, many students have been calling for school to be cancelled all week due to the icy conditions on Locust Walk. "I'm sure there would be people who had a different opinion no matter which way we decided," Hale said. In trying to keep the University open yesterday, though, Fagin did share some students' fear of trying to navigate on icy walkways. "I think things were running well [yesterday] despite the fact that I know many people were frightened, including me," she said. "If you think I like walking across the ice, you are very sadly mistaken. "I've hated ice since I was six years old," Fagin added. "Don't think I like it any better now."