Laura Castro Lindarte, a freshman double-majoring in journalism and political science, is a Hatchet opinions writer.
Snow: You either love it or hate it. It’s beautiful, magical and can change any winter view from an ordinary one to a wonderland.
At my high school in the D.C area, snow didn’t just mean a snow day. Snow meant weeks of snow days followed by the cancellation of midterms and plenty of fun. But snow days are no longer fun and games to me. It already takes me an hour to travel to GW from Sterling, Va. every day, and snow is just another obstacle that makes that never-ending commute harder.
Snow is difficult for everyone, but no one is affected as much as those students, professors, administrators and staff that live far away from campus. These people have to deal with hours of traffic, a barely functioning Metro and even risk getting in car accidents just to get to their classes. GW needs to remember the obstacles commuter students face when deciding whether to cancel class or not.
Last weekend, the D.C. area faced one of the biggest snowstorms it’s seen in recent years. The District ended up with more than 20 inches of snow, making Winter Storm Jonas the fourth-largest snowstorm in the region since 1888.
Unfortunately for me, my home in Loudoun County – the same county where the Virginia Science and Technology Campus is located – received higher levels of snow than D.C., about 36 inches total. On days like that, I’m left with a hard reality: If GW chooses not to cancel class, I may have to find a way to get there.
Class was cancelled this past Monday, but not Tuesday. Instead GW opened at 10 a.m, which was not not very helpful for me. While plenty of professors cancelled classes on their own or allowed students to take the day off, my professor still said he was going to start class at the regular time, 9:35 a.m., to avoid having to have a make-up day.
Since the Silver Line was shut down, my dad had to drive me into the city. Opening school when the full Metro system is not yet up and running after the storm makes life difficult for the students, staff and faculty who have to commute in from areas outside of D.C.
Driving in D.C. with snow on the ground is extremely difficult, and frankly dangerous. Just last Wednesday, after only an inch of snow fell, there were about nine hours of traffic jams and more than 150 accidents. Imagine that traffic with several feet on the ground, and with every commuter that would normally take the Metro heading into the city. Now imagine having to travel during rush hour because you have to be in at school for your early morning class.
I understand that administrators may worry canceling class will limit the amount of material a professor can cover in a semester, and they have to weigh factors like whether or not it is safe to get to campus. Cancelling class may be a last resort, but the truth is, I’m not the only student that commutes a long way to get to class.
The decision to keep the University open after bad weather will undoubtedly force us out of the house into the icy roads. Of course, I’m not asking to cancel class at any little snowfall that appears, but next time D.C. sees a snow storm that shuts down the city, GW should really consider what is best for all students – not just those living on campus.
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