CREDIT: STEPHANIE LAI
College closure is dependent on a couple of things; LTC is one of them.

When London was hit with 20 cm of snow resulting in poor driving conditions on January 7, all school buses were canceled. The Thames Valley District School Board closed 20 elementary and secondary schools in and around the area, and the hockey game between the London Knights and the Kitchener Rangers was postponed.

“If there isn’t a need to drive anywhere today, it is highly suggested that you don’t,” London Police Services tweeted that morning.

But amid the bad weather, Fanshawe College remained open.

So, what does it take for the college to close because of bad weather conditions?

“There’s a lot of criteria to consider,” said Robert Earle, manager of Fanshawe’s emergency management office.

But one of the tipping points, he says, tends to be the London Transit Commission.

“If London Transit stops operating because of the weather conditions, that’s a clear indication to us that there’s obviously some issues, and we’re going to have to seriously consider closing the college for the day,” Earle said.

The other major consideration is parking and accessibility on campus. If the college can’t remove the snow from sidewalks, entryways and parking spaces quickly enough to maintain accessibility then the college will consider closing.

The decision whether to close or remain open comes down to a committee of people at Fanshawe that collects information on the weather from various sources and puts together a forecast for the next 12 hours. Earle is part of that committee.

“You can understand that if we close the school, it not only creates a lot of disruption both to students and staff, but there are a lot financial implications to closing the school as well,” he said.

One issue that can arise from closing the college for a day is having to reschedule tests and exams.

LTC buses were still operating on January 7, and Fanshawe was able to clear the snow on campus quickly enough to maintain accessibility.

“We were looking at perhaps a half an inch per hour accumulated snow, so it’s within the capacity of the college to deal with that,” Earle said. “Having said that, it’s everybody’s responsibility to look at the weather conditions and say, ‘Is it reasonable for me to get to class that day?’”

He says no students should be criticized for not attending class because of weather conditions.

Gary Lima, Fanshawe’s senior vice-president of academic, said in an email that regardless of the reason for missing classes or assignments, including weather conditions, students should speak to their professors. If that doesn’t work, he said, students should get in contact with their program co-ordinator, and if they’re still not satisfied, they should go to the chair of their school.

“The primary consideration in anything related to campus closure as a result of weather is all centered on individual safety,” Earle said. “And if we think that the conditions represent a hazard to anybody, then we’re going to give that very close scrutiny and then make decisions based on the impact it might have.”