Surprise snow freezes school

The forecast predicted half an inch of snow, but students woke up and were surprised to find Abilene covered in over two inches of snow – enough to cancel classes and shutdown the university.

Several students braved the single-digit windchill on Thursday and participated in snowball fights and sledding.

The hills behind Smith Adams Hall were a popular destination for sledders including Chris Cope, junior biblical text major from Abilene.

“It was great to have an unexpected snow day, and what better way to spend it then to sled in the snow?” Cope said. “It was exhilarating.”

A snowball fight involving more than 70 ACU students was coordinated in front of Nelson Hall by Tim Savage, accounting graduate student from Abilene.

Despite the cold, students gather together on their day off for an epic snowball fight. (Optimist photo by Deanna Romero)

“I always try to have a good time when it snows in Abilene since those times are so rare. I thought that since classes were cancelled, I would just invite everyone I knew at ACU to take advantage of the potential of having an epic snowball fight,” Savage said. “I think the best part was seeing all the college students play around like 5-year-old children.”

Students can thank a committee of administrators for the the decision to cancel school. The committee, officially known as the ACU Weather Delay/Closure Committee, is coordinated by ACUPD Chief of Police, Jimmy Ellison and is comprised of Dr. Allison Garrett, executive vice president; Dr. Robert Rhodes, provost; Suzanne Allmon, senior advisor to the president; Wendy Jones, chief human resources officer and Dr. Jan Meyer, interim vice president of Student Life.

Ellison said in an email that he tries to stay informed of any severe or inclement weather that might affect ACU.

“I will provide current and projected road conditions to the committee for group discussion and consideration of the impact the weather will have on the area,” Ellison said. “The absolute and number one priority overall is always safety of our students and employees.”

Amy Grotjohn, sophomore biology major from Hawley, Minn., had a different perspective about ACU canceling school.

“I think it’s a little ridiculous given my upbringing, but I enjoyed it nonetheless,” she said.

Not only were classes cancelled because of the snow, Sing Song practices scheduled in Moody Coliseum Thursday night were postponed due to the weather as well.

The junior class was originally scheduled for a Moody night practice at 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, but are now set to practice at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning, said Chloe Gaulden, junior Sing Song co-director and speech pathology major from Keller.

“It’s pretty inconvenient, but it’s not like it’s anyone’s fault,” Gaulden said. “As directors, we try our best to keep our participants happy, and we know that the juniors aren’t thrilled about the change. We’re just trying to keep a positive attitude and remember that we can’t control the weather.”

Some acts continued to have practice despite the rough weather conditions. Erika Tanaka, senior Ad/PR major from Conroe, had practice as planned for the Sigma Theta Chi act.

“I understand the urgency for rehearsal, especially with the performance a week away,” Tanaka said. “My only reservation is the safety of getting to campus. I just wish that would’ve been taken into consideration. I mean, if the roads aren’t safe enough to go to classes, why should they be safe enough to practice?”