Hey! It Worked Again!

Feb. 5, 2007

KALAMAZOO--All campuses of Western Michigan University are closed today, Monday, Feb. 5, 2007, due to severe winter weather. All classes are canceled. All offices are closed, except emergency and essential services. There are no public events on campus.

Once Again Into The Breach... NOT!

This is the second time this academic year that WMU has declared a Snow Day. I posted the following on my WMU and class websites at 11pm last night:

NOTICE:

UPDATE: Dr. Phil is Canceling PHYS-1070
for Monday 5 February 2007
Up in Allendale, all the schools and GVSU
are closed for Monday.  Authorities are 
suggesting that road conditions early Monday
Morning will be poor, allow for THREE times
the usual drive.  This is not practical -- 
OR SAFE -- for Dr. Phil's long commute,
regardless of whether WMU is open or not.

Obviously if Dr. Phil can't make it in, it must be serious. Nice to know that the Administration listens to me.

But Seriously

I do wish Western would get on the ball and call these things a little earlier. Grand Valley announced it was closed for today back around 4pm on Sunday, well before the Super Bowl. I made my decision after hearing some road advisories and posted at 11pm on Sunday -- having put a warning about uncertain road conditions due to the blizzard and upcoming storm back on Friday. I checked the main WMU website at 3:45am before going to bed -- hey, if I didn't have to try to leave at 6am I wasn't going to bed early -- and WMU still had not posted any data.

Based on past performance, they probably closed after I would've hit the road at 6am. And given the multiple accidents which shut down parts of M-45, Wilson and I-196 -- part of the usual "safe" route I take -- I might've either been involved in those accidents or been unable to proceed. This sucks. Decisions need to be made sooner.

The other reason for an early closing decision -- how many students went home for Super Bowl Sunday and found themselves on treacherous roads trying to get back for Monday classes? Hmmm? How many students do we need to endanger or God forbid kill before someone decides that conditions really do stink and maybe it's time to keep everyone off the roads like the State Police are requesting.

Great First Quarter

That's all I'm sayin' about the Super Bowl.

Dr. Phil