The past few days in Lewisburg can be described using a multitude of words: tundra-esque, numbing, subzero, you name it. The winds have been biting as well as the cold. Getting around campus this past week has been more work than our classes. Through all the wintry conditions there is one thing Bucknell hasn’t done: given us a snow day. 

Now, I am not one for advocating missing class. Honestly, I think education is a great privilege and that it is a blessing to get to attend such an outstanding college everyday. However, when it is literally hailing on my walk to Academic West from downhill, I can see why skipping classes is normalized and practiced among college students. The weather conditions have been hazardous. Besides the hail and snow, there is so much ice. Sheets of ice everywhere. No matter where you turn, there will be a block of ice. I am all for ice skating, but not on the quad and not on my way to my 8:30 a.m. class. 

Don’t even get me started on my walk back from class. If you walk anywhere with a hill, it will be covered in ice. If you live downhill, then you will most definitely need to walk down a hill to get back to your dorm. Unfortunately, slipping down the hill or gripping the rails along the grove for dear life is not pleasant or at all practical. Lauren Pulcini ’27 says, “It’s a struggle walking to my classes with all the ice. I almost slip everyday.” The ice issue is affecting our student body heavily. 

As a school, we need to normalize canceling classes or moving virtual when weather conditions are taxing. It doesn’t matter if we’re mostly a residential college. I’m not saying that we can’t handle a little snow, but conditions this severe are unsafe for students to get to class. We need to prioritize the safety of our student body, which sometimes means just giving us a snow day.