Photo Credit: Victoria Della Salla
By Ellena Sweet | Campus News Editor
After a relatively mild start to winter, Juno swept through Newport just in time for Salve’s spring semester. In light of the weather related cancellations and delays experienced since then, many students are wondering if there will be repercussions for what seems like a high occurrence of setbacks so early into the semester.
According to Dr. Scott Zeman, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Salve Regina University, although there is no limit to the amount of cancellations that can occur, the university may need to consider alternative options in making up for lost time. “When they start to add up, they start to impact the academic schedule significantly,” he said. “But, there is no magic number because if it’s a bad snow event and we have to close down, we have to close down.”
Zeman also pointed out that, when it comes to closing the university, it’s not any one person’s decision. “It’s a number of departments, vice presidents and directors, as well as the president, who makes the final decision as to whether or not the university is going to close,” said Zeman.
According to Michael Caruolo, Director of Safety and Security, there are also a number of factors that come into play when deciding whether or not to cancel or delay classes. “First and foremost, our priority is the safety of the community, that being students, faculty and staff members alike,” he said.
Caruolo explained that the university always considers weather conditions on and off of campus, as many students, faculty and staff members commute from outside of the immediate area. “We do respect the fact that many people are coming from other areas of the state, or even out of the state, where conditions may not be so favorable,” Caruolo said.
He further explained that Newport is situated in a unique location. Being on the coast, the area is affected by the rain/snow line, which can lead to conditions that are unique from those that are found inland.
The rain/snow line can also make weather predictions difficult to pin down, and oftentimes the forecast is indefinite until the last minute. “There’s some question and sometimes even scrutiny over us waiting till the last minute to make the call, but we’re only as good as the information we receive,” Caruolo said.
Once a decision is made regarding classes, the university continues to monitor conditions for the duration of the weather event. According to Caruolo, Salve strongly encourages its community members to use their best judgment when traveling on the island during or after a storm.
Salve also encourages local commuters to utilize public transportation when they don’t feel comfortable driving with snow on the ground. In fact, one of the first calls that Caruolo’s office makes when deciding whether or not to cancel classes is to the Rhode Island Public Transport Authority.
The university verifies that trollies are still running through campus and downtown, and thus are available to students. “Really, the best way to commute to and from campus, if you’re not comfortable driving, is through public transportation,” Caruolo said.
