Silhouette

Issue date: 2/15/07 Section: Front Page

Media Credit: Adam Shrimplin Battling mother nature: Cleaning the snow of his car, Ivan Santiago, Garden City, fights the cold after the winter storm hit Monday afternoon. GCCC canceled all night classes scheduled for Monday evening.

Garden City was hit with another winter storm Monday, as rain and sleet developed into snow as the afternoon wore on. By 4:30 p.m., conditions had worsened, prompting Dr. Carol Ballantyne, GCCC president, to call off evening college classes.

"As the afternoon wore on, the snow kept coming down at a faster rate, and roads were getting slicker," Ballantyne said. "It was best just to shut down classes for the evening."

In addition to evening classes, a workshop for minorities was also canceled. By Monday night, five to six inches of snowfall had accumulated in Garden City. The winter weather prompted USD 457 to cancel classes Tuesday, but classes at the college remained in session. Mike Cruz, ground supervisor, said maintenance was out as early as 3:30 a.m.Tuesday, clearing off walks and parts of parking lots, and putting down ice melt and sand around intersections and stop signs for traction for vehicles.

As roads and parking lots were being cleared off, slick and snow-packed conditions still prevented many off-campus students from attending classes Tuesday. Doris Meng, English department, had most of her students in her first class in the morning, but by her World Literature class, attendance started diminishing.

"It was five minutes after World Lit had begun before anyone showed up," Meng said. "I had only two students show up for the class. After that class, I started getting calls right away from students who couldn't make it in because of the weather."



Even with the college open and in session, some classes were called off due to the weather. When Haley Krehbiel arrived at her Introduction to Philosophy class Tuesday, she noticed a sign posted on the door, notifying students that class had been cancelled.

"I had heard we might not have class because the weather delayed Mr. Jarmer from coming back from forensics," Krehbiel, Dighton, Kan., said. "I was kind of happy not to have class, but it made me mad that I walked in the snow, all the way from the dorms to the fine arts building, only to find that class had been cancelled,"

When winter weather strikes, Ballantyne says there are several factors that come into play when deciding whether or not to call off classes.

"The biggest factor would be whether or not parking lots can be cleared off and allow vehicles to move on them," Ballantyne said. "We also look at what activities are going on, and whether or not postponing them would create hardships for people."

In the future, Steve Quakenbush, director of information services and publications, says it's best for students to tune in to local television news and radio stations to find out if classes and events have been cancelled.

"We notify all news media," Quakenbush said. "The messages are short and simple. People do need to keep in mind that cancellations are made for that day only."

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