By Mallory Schlabach, Editor in Chief
The spring semester begins a day later this year, after a winter ice storm swept the nation prompting school officials to delay classes until students can safely return to Abilene.
Provost Dwayne VanRheenen announced Sunday evening that classes would begin Wednesday instead of Tuesday after much consideration to the weather reports.
VanRheenen said the time-consuming process took all of Sunday before the decision was reached by the President’s Office, the Provost’s office, Residence Life and many deans on campus and faculty members.
“We knew that we had many students flying in from outside of Texas and abroad,” VanRheenen said. “The safety and well being of our students and faculty is paramount in this situation. The ice storm affects every area of the university, so we had to consider everything when deciding to delay classes.”
He said in his 11 years as Provost, delaying classes has only happened three times.
After looking at the weather reports and noticing how large the storm was going to be, VanRheenen said he and Jim Holmans, assistant to the president, and Dr. Royce Money, president of the university, began to wonder if people could get back by Tuesday to begin classes.
“We decided it wasn’t worth the risk,” he said.
Dr. Wayne Barnard, dean of spiritual life formation, was also involved in the decision-making process.
He said the group looked at weather reports for Abilene, the surrounding areas and states.
“We received numerous e-mails and phone calls from students from Texas and outside of Texas who were concerned about not being able to get back in time for classes,” Barnard said. “Many people were stranded at airports and could not leave Dallas Fort Worth or couldn’t get to Dallas Fort Worth because of flight cancellations.”
Both he and VanRheenen agreed that the decision to delay classes was much easier than the decision to cancel classes last semester after an ice storm hit Abilene in December.
“It’s not the same to have to cancel classes at the beginning of a semester as it is to cancel classes near midterm or the end of a semester,” Barnard said. “Perhaps it made this decision a little easier for us because we are at the front end of the semester, and it doesn’t hinder the learning too much.”
In the case that students can’t get back to Abilene for classes because of bad weather where they are from, Barnard said students should make every effort to contact either someone in the Provost’s or Campus Life’s office to see what exceptions can be made so all students return to Abilene safely.
The weather turned cold in Abilene late Friday night as the rain, which began at noon, began to freeze just past midnight. According the National Weather Service Web site, Abilene accumulated up one-half inch of ice Saturday and Sunday.
The NWS forecasted that Abilene could be under another winter storm watch Wednesday, when a new storm system moves through the Big Country, possibly bringing up to three inches of snow. Temperatures are not expected to rise above freezing until late this week, when the high may reach 50 degrees.
