Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Classes Continue Despite Storm

Andreas Jeninga/The Hoya A thick layer of snow Sunday night persuaded even the most diehard cyclists to leave their bikes on the rack.

Georgetown continued to dig out from Sunday night’s snowstorm yesterday but the university remained open with liberal leave in effect.

On Monday students trudged through the four to six inches of snow and ice that fell on the Washington, D.C., metro area beginning around 9 p.m. Sunday night and continuing on into the morning. The university remained open, with the liberal leave policy in effect, despite the closure of other local universities and public schools. Liberal leave allows professors and students with a long commute to miss class.

The federal government also remained open with an unscheduled leave policy in effect, similar to Georgetown’s liberal leave policy. Evening classes at Georgetown, however, were cancelled.

The National Weather Service of Sterling, Va., predicted last night that freezing weather and light rain or sleet would fall overnight and another possible storm could hit in the region later this afternoon.

“Any icing will make for hazardous driving conditions on untreated surfaces as temperatures will remain in the 20s overnight,” the winter weather advisory said. “If you venture out … allow plenty of time to reach your destination and use caution.”

Frozen branches knocked out some power lines around Washington, D.C.

Sunday’s snowstorm contributed to several traffic deaths and travel delays while bringing ice, freezing rain and snow throughout the eastern half of the United States, from the Midwest to the mid-Atlantic.

Early Monday morning, the university decided to remain open with the liberal leave policy in effect.

The decision of whether to cancel classes on the Main Campus and edical Center is made by conference call, according to Julie Green Bataille, assistant vice president for communications.

“They make the call at some ungodly hour of the morning and consider the weather predictions and other factors to make the decision. Then they contact [the Office of Communications] so we can get the information out,” Bataille said. The Law Center makes its decisions on closure separately, due to the difference in geographical location of the campus.

Many students were disappointed to find out early Monday morning that classes were still scheduled. “Whenever everyone is praying for classes to be cancelled, it’s a sure sign that we’re actually going to have them,” Peter Nguyen (COL ’05) said.

Facilities workers spent much of the day salting and shoveling walkways. Not all university facilities were open during the day.

“Some people were frustrated that classes hadn’t been canceled, but Darnall being closed, that was the worst part of my day,” John Santore (COL ’05) said.

The snow wasn’t a downer for everyone, however.

“Snow puts everybody in a good mood, so its fun to get out there and play games with some friends,” Ryan Mooney (MSB’05) said after spending over an hour playing football on the snow-covered Copley Lawn.

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