Tyler McKay | Contributor
Featured Image: York administration elected to resume classes last week, despite inclement weather, and concern from students and staff regarding commuting to campus. | Fatema Ali
With the first snowstorm of the year hitting York, students were forced to abandon their commutes, and classes were eventually cancelled.
The storm, which occurred on January 28, resulted in the cancellation of classes at 5:30 p.m.; but, the university resumed regular schedule the next day.
This left some students concerned about safely getting to class, as the roads and sidewalks remained buried in snow, leading to a critique of the accessibility of campus, especially during the winter months.
Rianne Batuigas, a second-year environmental studies student says: “That day was ridiculous. The Village was not even accessible—everyone was pretty much snowed in for a whole day. Everyone was walking on the road since the sidewalks were covered in two feet of snow.”
Karley Lamb, an English and professional writing student said: “The sidewalks were not fully shovelled or plowed properly and it was cold inside a lot of the school buildings. It was not safe for people to be out in such cold temperatures, especially when so many students walk from student housing. Walking outside is such a big part of being on a big campus.”
A few days after the storm, some of the pathways were still not adequately cleared. Additionally, the snow impeded those who take the bus, and many were unable to get to campus.
Alana Barone, a third-year environmental studies student says: “I did not go to school that day because I commute from Mississauga and my street was snowed in. I had a presentation in class so I had to email my professor explaining the situation.”
Christo El Morr, an associate professor of health informatics says: “Despite the decision of the university to open Tuesday, I felt that it might be risky for some students to be on campus at 8:30 a.m. for the class.
“In order to avoid any risk, as well as class cancellation, I opted for an online live delivery of the course material; I have also registered the presentation and made it available on the class website as some might have been severely affected by the weather and lost access to electricity and/or internet,” El Morr says.
However, this option was not available to all students.
Barone expressed concerns about missing class: “Because the school was still open, we would have received an attendance penalty if we did not contact our professor prior to class starting,” she says.
York representatives could not be reached for comment at the time of publication.
