Amid a series of massive snow storms that have broken the 1899 record for seasonal snowfall in the District, Georgetown University has canceled classes at its campuses for a fourth consecutive day. In addition to preventing faculty and staff from safely reaching campus, the most recent blizzard has disrupted food deliveries and frustrated professors’ lesson plans.
In an e-mail to the Voice, Provost James O’Donnell explained the University has been discussing potential closures with faculty every day, and that every day there are a few faculty who are in favor of keeping school open. But the general consensus has typically been in favor of closing the University, especially at the beginning of the week.
“We’re all worried about keeping up academically,” O’Donnell wrote in an e-mail on Tuesday. “It’s faculty, staff, and students (mainly graduate students) who live away from campus and who both have to get out of their neighborhoods (still impossible for some) and then get here safely and get home safely in the evening.”
Several professors have used the technological resources provided by Georgetown’s Center for New Designs in Learning to stay connected with their students, including video conferencing. Daniel Sabet, a visiting assistant professor at the School of Foreign Service, attached audio to a PowerPoint presentation and sent it to his class, and Professor Diana Owen used a “real-time blog” to host a discussion between her students in lieu of her Tuesday morning Media and Politics seminar.
In a Wednesday evening e-mail to the student body, O’Donnell wrote that the University will be open and operating on liberal leave next Monday, and that he has asked the Council of Associate Deans to schedule another make-up day later in the semester. Student response to his announcement was immediate and overwhelmingly negative. Within an hour and a half of his announcement, a Facebook group protesting the decision, “Protect Our National Holiday! Say No To Monday Classes!!!” had over 1,100 student members.
“They can’t give us three days notice for taking away a long weekend scheduled since the beginning of the year! I and many other people have travel plans,” Constantine Petallides (SFS ‘13) wrote on the group’s wall.
According to University spokesperson Andy Pino, Leo J. O’Donovan’s Dining Hall is well-stocked for the duration of the storm and was not having “any substantial issues with food deliveries” as of Wednesday morning.
“A lot of people have volunteered their time to stay away from their families,” Zemirah Benson, an employee at Leo’s, said. Benson said the dining hall has been heavily trafficked. “Students are pleasant, very thankful, [and] very hungry.”
Across the University, however, other food establishments are having trouble. Epicurean, the restaurant in the basement of Darnall, has remained open, but Cosi in the Leavey Center has been closed all week. The neighboring Starbucks has been operating on reduced hours. With the exception of More Uncommon Grounds, The Corp has kept its stores on campus open, but road conditions have blocked or delayed deliveries.
“We’re trying to keep the shelves as full as possible, but obviously we’re at the mercy of Mother Nature on this one,” Brad Glasser (COL ‘11), the chief executive officer of the Corp, wrote in an e-mail on Wednesday.
According to Pino, the University is well stocked with salt to melt the snow and Facilities workers are opening storm drains in anticipation of flooding when the snow melts. Emergency personnel staff, including Georgetown University Hospital workers, student guards, and Department of Public Safety officers have still been required to come to campus.
