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Storms Disrupt Monday Classes

By Kristen Linsalata
News Editor

Due to the frequent storms, 8 a.m. Monday classes have only met one time in the last five weeks of school. Excessive class cancellations due to inclement weather can cause delays in the curriculum, and raise questions about how students and faculty will be able to make up for lost time.

“LIU faculty members have the freedom to determine how makeup classes are scheduled in the event of campus closures, taking into account what is best for all students in the class,” said Beth Wilkow, Associate Dean of Enrollment Services and Registrar. Options include holding extra classes prior to final exam week, during common hour, online classes, or on Fridays, when there are fewer classes generally held, according to Wilkow.

Many students believe that the cancellations were handled properly, and without significant consequences to their schedules. “I’m unaffected by [the cancellations] because my professor has already moved the tests to a later date, and he said we might use make-up days, which I don’t mind either,” said Anthony Chung, a junior English major.

However, other students feel as though notifications about the cancellations were made too late. “I am generally already halfway to school by the time I receive the text [from the Emergency Alert System],” said Kristy O’Connell, a junior Marketing major. “Because we are a largely commuter school, you would think there would be more consideration in that respect. Fortunately, I am only a little over a half an hour away, but what about the people who take the bus? Who travel over an hour to get to school? It’s not fair for the people that risk coming to school when the weather’s bad, only to find out that class was cancelled an hour or less before class even starts.”

Despite the fact that classes were cancelled on Jan. 26 at 7:08 a.m., less than an hour before classes would have begun, Chung does not believe that the cancellations were made too late.

Because the add/drop period ended on Feb. 4, questions arise on how these class cancellations will affect students in regards to being able to drop the course. “There are no classes that only meet Monday mornings at 8 a.m. or 9 a.m.,” Wilkow said. “These classes meet Mondays and Wednesdays, so students would have enough time to determine whether they wish to add or drop a course.”

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