Many students were pleased Georgia State made extra efforts to ensure safety and convenience during the second snow storm that began on the night of Feb. 10.
“I think they did a better job this time,” said Matthew Anderson, a graduate student in Astronomy.
On Monday, Feb. 10, Georgia State decided to cancel all classes on Tuesday, Feb. 11. The decision to close the University on Wednesday and Thursday as well was made in the following days.
Many commuter students were pleased that the University closed for the entirety of Tuesday. The previous decision to close halfway between the day had students and faculty stuck in traffic for hours in order to get home.
“The University appeared to take more precaution in cancelling with more notice, preventing commuters from suffering long, torturous trips on congested interstates. I think they did much better all around,” Jake de Backer, a junior, said.
Before the arrival of the storm, an email was sent out to Georgia State residents explaining that a winter weather advisory is issued when hazardous winter weather is occurring, imminent or an inconvenience. Students were encouraged to sign up for GSU Panther Alert for email and text message notifications on emergency updates.
University Housing also advised students to take extra precautions and stay up to date on weather information by watching the local news. A shuttle took students from the University Commons to the Publix on Piedmont so they could stock up on groceries for the winter storm watch which lasted from Feb. 11 to Feb. 13.
“Georgia State [was] awesome at alerting students whether via twitter or email. I knew what was going on,” Edmond Tucker, a sophomore, said. “I wish I saw an announcement on the news, but it’s cool. For a commuter school, I feel we set the standard on how to operate efficiently in snow.”
Keith Sumas, head of emergency management at Georgia State, said the University followed the emergency protocols listed on their website.
After the previous snow storm in January, President Becker announced that changes would be made to weather emergency protocols. In a statement, he said he would be assigning a task force to review the current protocols and make necessary changes.
Yet information regarding the task force has not yet been released.
Sumas was not aware if President Becker’s task force had been involved with the decision-making process or with handling weather safety.
“I am not sure about the task force. I have not heard anything about the task force regarding who will be on that task force,” Sumas said.
