By Victoria Cruz
News Writer
The university closed for an unprecedented three days in response to Blizzard Calvin bringing in over a foot of snow.
The administrative team had anticipated a Monday closure for the storm. It became apparent on Monday during cleanup efforts that a Tuesday closure would also be necessary.
“Facilities and University Police review the report and check with the surrounding towns and Department of Transportation to check on road conditions around the New Haven area,” Eric Lessne, the associate vice president for Capital Budgeting and Facilities Operations, said.
However, the university did not anticipate another closure and was set to open the campus on Feb. 25.
Both departments ultimately came to the decision that another closure would be necessary.
The nine miles of walkways and roads surrounding the campus were still deemed unfit for travel.
“We had not anticipated the third day. We are looking to see what we can do operationally, whether it’s buying more equipment or having more contract personnel available,” Interim President Sandra Bulmer said.
Bulmer added that although the closure was unexpected, it was essential to protect students, faculty and the staff tasked with clearing the snow.
“It was not feasible to achieve safety for the campus community. It was a difficult decision to cancel, and ultimately it was mine. It was dictated by safety and the health and wellness of our own workforce,” Bulmer said.
The facilities team level 1 employees have to report on closures.
These faculty employees are repurposed for snow removal and supplemented by contractors during severe storms.
Contractors were in high demand at this time, making it difficult for the facilities workforce to be supplemented in a timely manner.
A contract workforce is only permitted to work on campus with special permission from campus labor unions.
Once their regulations are satisfied, contract work may commence.
On the second day, the crew was unable to make it to campus because the conditions in the greater campus area were deemed unsafe to drive.
These conditions impacted commuters’ ability to make it safe to campus.
Going forward, the university is looking into how to mitigate future extended closures.
“We need to do better. Three days is not what we strive for. We are doing a thorough analysis of where we can improve. We don’t want this to happen, and we are disappointed we could not open Wednesday,” Bulmer said.
University Provost Julia Irwin shared that the university is still in compliance with necessary classroom hours. The closure sparked discussion on creating alternatives means to in-person classes during weather emergencies.
“As frustrating as this particular blizzard has been, I think it gives us an opportunity to have some productive conversations around our pivoting capabilities,” Irwin said.
The American Association of University Professors and the administrative team have opened discussions around potential considerations that would have to be made.
Exploring if courses could be conducted online or by creating special assignments.
“The driving factor is always safety, all of what we do is so important. But also, we don’t want anybody to get hurt. That is something you can’t take back. We have to care for each other as a community,” Irwin said.
Preparations are currently being set in place to prevent any extended closures in the future.
“Profoundly disappointing for all of us in leadership that we couldn’t get the campus open. I think it was the right decision, but I hope we don’t have to do that again,” Bulmer said.
