Snow closing decisions fall on U. officials

When snow begins to accumulate and roads become icy, Executive Vice President John Fry faces an important decision. Fry and several other University officials are charged with the task of deciding when to close the University in the case of weather emergencies. Their decision to close the University is dependent on input from various sources within the University community, and from city and state offices. According to Chief of Police George Clisby, the University solicits advice from the state police, the National Weather Service and Philadelphia's Office of Emergency Management for information in an emergency weather situation. Executive Director of Physical Plant James Wargo said his department "monitors the situation, removes the snow and prepares the campus for occupancy." Wargo added that he surveys the situation on campus and relays the information to Vice President of Facilities Management Art Gravina. Gravina then speaks with the EVP and the Vice Provost for University Life, Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, who together decide whether or not to close the University, Clisby said. "We keep in touch with the city," Fry said. "But the decision is completely ours." "The closing only impacts [nonessential] personnel," Clisby explained. "The Public Safety division is required to remain open and available." In addition, some computer facilities and the Veterinary Hospital remain open despite University closings, Clisby said. Fry explained that the University has a contingency fund to support the effort to clean up from storms like the Blizzard of '96. But he said the University also has to supplement its own employees with outside contractors. "The governor's declaration of emergency conditions indicated this particular storm [of a few weeks ago] had a tremendous impact on the entire metropolitan area," Clisby said. Fry said his primary concern is for the safety of the University community and their ability to commute to campus. During the Blizzard of '96, "those people who were required to come to work did a tremendous job in preparing the University for its reopening -- particularly public safety persons and facility persons," Clisby said. "They kept an appropriate level of public safety visible and available for service," he said. State-wide energy shortages triggering power outages around the city contributed to the University's decision to close for several days in 1994. Other factors that led to previous shutdowns of the University include icy road conditions and a limited supply of salt and sand. Such circumstances hinder the efficiency of the emergency services and make automobile and pedestrian transportation nearly impossible. "I think that [the recent] storm was worse than the storm two years ago because of the volume of snow that was in the immediate and outlying area," Clisby said.