The second week of the spring semester at Wichita State met students with wet and icy conditions on their way to classes. The university has the responsibility and framework to decide whether to operate remotely or temporarily suspend campus operations.
Due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Jan. 22 was the first Monday of the semester. WSU has an established response to severe weather, and it is not uncommon for classes to be pushed to remote work, like last Tuesday, which was the first day of the semester.
At 5:45 a.m. on Monday, Jan. 22, the National Weather Service reported hazardous travel conditions from freezing rain and ice accumulation in South Central Kansas. They also warned of possible patchy freezing drizzle and fog that could occur this evening.
Some professors canceled classes, but the campus remained open throughout the day, and the sidewalks were generally clear and salted.
Faculty are responsible for executing and producing online work. It can be difficult to replicate the learning experience in some classes on a Zoomcall or Blackboard page.
A large percentage of WSU students commute, whether it be from nearby apartments or housing around the city.
Senior history student Grace Boman said that while the weather didn’t impact her much on campus it did impact her commute.
“I live on the other side of town. So I usually drive about 30 minutes to get here,” Boman said. “It’s sometimes scary on the roads just because when it’s icy, I’m confident in my abilities — I’m not confident in other drivers’ abilities”
WSU’s inclement weather guidelines say that it will take reasonable measures to protect the safety of its community. Temporary options include starting late and moving classes to be remote if necessary.
The guidelines also state that the university typically aligns its decisions with Wichita Public School District USD 259, which did not close its operations on Jan. 22.
Elias West, a philosophy and computer science student, said that he understood the university’s decision.
“The roads weren’t really as dangerous as I thought it would be,” West, who typically has a 20-minute commute, said.
