Administrators pushed back the opening of the University until 10 a.m. Wednesday and canceled classes after 5 p.m. Tuesday because of the icy weather in D.C. and the surrounding metropolitan area.
The National Weather Service reported about two inches of wintry-mix precipitation – including snow, freezing rain and sleet – around the District, which has created dangerous travel conditions. The meteorological service described the ice storm as the worst since January 1999.
Many streets and sidewalks in Foggy Bottom were blanketed with a thin layer of ice and snow late Tuesday that remained in place early Wednesday. Students walking around campus jumped across puddles of muddied slush.
Executive Vice President and Treasurer Lou Katz said GW strives to remain fully operational throughout the school year.
“If the students are on campus – which they clearly are at this time – we make every effort to always be open,” Katz said in a telephone interview late Tuesday night. “We can’t always accomplish that, but … we make every effort to have the institution open.”
Katz and Donald Lehman, executive vice president for academic affairs, are the two administrators who make the final decisions about school closures and class cancellations. Teleconferences between 4 and 5 a.m. are typical on days when severe weather strikes the District.
University officials take many factors into account when determining the school’s status.
Weather and road conditions specific to the Foggy Bottom, Mount Vernon and Virginia campuses all go into the administrators’ decision-making, Katz said. He explained that senior Facilities Department officials provide assessments of the quality of life at all GW property in and out of D.C. as well as the accessibility to the grounds.
“The kinds of things we look at are the conditions of all the campuses, and we look at them separately … We check on the conditions of the roads, if there are power outages and things like that,” Katz said.
Since many faculty and staff members commute to GW from Northern Virginia and suburban Maryland, the closure of the Metro system is “a big factor,” Katz said. Officials also consider the statuses of the federal government, local schools and other universities.
The Metro system was fully operational Wednesday, though most major D.C. universities were closed and the federal government had a delayed opening.
In the 17 years Katz has served in the GW administration, he said he only recalls the University shutting down about a half-dozen times. He said class cancellation – while rare overall – is much more likely than fully closing the school and not requiring employees to come to work. Part of the reason, Katz explained, is that many of the services undergraduates living on campus need, such as dining service, would not be possible if a “liberal leave” policy were in effect for GW staff.
The National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Washington and surrounding areas in Northern Virginia and Maryland early Tuesday morning. It was in effect until 2 p.m. Wednesday.
“A winter storm warning means significant amounts of snow, sleet and ice are expected,” according to the advisory on the Weather Channel’s Web site. “Strong winds are also possible – especially on Wednesday. This will make travel very hazardous.”
