<p>How are those schools that have been hit with the snowstorm handling it? We live in Florida, but there are some more northern/northeast schools on our 'possible colleges' list. The winter weather, and particularly snowstorms with the possibility of power outages, would be a new experience! How much advance info did your kids' schools give them, or give you about their plans to deal with the weather. How DO they deal with power outages? I can imagine a college campus could actually be a pretty good place to be in bad weather, if appropriate plans are in place so students have heat and food.</p>
<p>What were the plans at your/your kids' colleges? How are they doing? I hope everyone is staying warm and well fed!</p>
<p>Colleges up here are pretty experienced at dealing with all sorts of storms. They have been doing it for (in some cases) hundreds of years!
All colleges were shut down yesterday during the storm, though some (like Harvard) were open until noon. WPI alerted students (text messages, emails, Facebook, website) and **parents <a href=“thank%20you!”>/B</a> on Thursday. They didn’t lose power, dining halls open with modified hours.
I’m sure the kids are all out playing in the 28" of snow right now ;)</p>
<p>My daughter goes to college in upstate NY, and so did I many years ago. The colleges do a great job of handling snow. When we did our college tours last year we were the last tour before they closed the school for a major snowstorm. They texted the students to inform them. So far we have not experienced college power outages ( fingers crossed). We always make sure that my daughter has non perishable food such as granola bars and soup, just in case.</p>
<p>My D’s college lost power about a week due to Hurricane Sandy so problems can be caused by non-snow events as well (her friend at a southern school lost power for a week earlier in the semester with Hurricane Issac). Anyway, my daughter’s school did a great job in terms of keeping students safe and keeping parents well informed. Classes were cancelled. For the first day it was pretty quiet, but after the campus was cleared of debris and made to be safe, activities were planned during the daylight in the gym, and there were movies and games at night in buildings that had generator power. Card games & backgammon games by flashlight were common. Charging stations were set up in buildings with generator power so students had no problem keeping their phones and laptops going. Food was plentiful although there was a smaller selection than usual. The school allowed all students, even those who were not on a meal plan, to come and eat in the dining hall. Like the poster mentioned above, we also sent her with some non-perishable food (granola bars, pop tarts) for her room. We could have picked my daughter up and brought her home, but frankly she did not want to leave. I think it turned out to be one of those experiences that she and her college friends will talk about forever. </p>
<p>And snow events would be handled the same way. Schools up north are generally very good about plowing out quickly and decisions are made in a way that puts safety first. Small snowstorms are not a problem. And I know, for example, that schools in NYC and Boston cancelled classes on Friday and Saturday due to the impending large storm. </p>
<p>It is a valid concern and you should ask how snow and other emergencies have been handled by a particular college when you visit the schools. And wherever your child ends up, it never hurts to pack some granola bars, a flashlight and some batteries!</p>
<p>Schools up north are as adept at handling snowstorms as schools in Florida are at handling hurricanes. Schools often issue extra food and water ahead of time. Some will have buildings that are powered by generators so that there are basic services available. </p>
<p>In truth, this is probably going to be one massive party for college students in Boston. Also, southern students will learn the joys of combining snow and a steep hill with a cafeteria tray and gravity.</p>
<p>Here in the northern Midwest, we get hit with some severe snowstorms, but every school handles it differently. Some close down, (especially the commuter schools) and a lot of times, professors will cancel their classes individually or at least make attendance optional. </p>
<p>It’s all situational, and you just learn to deal with it.</p>
<p>S’s classes were canceled on Friday, his school was located in 30" plus range…
They did not lose power and I was able to know about everything through his school’s FB parents group.
S did call me this morning to give me an update, the library is closed for Sat and Sun which I knew about through Parents FB page.</p>
<p>My university (located in NYC) has dealt with two such storms just in the past academic year. Since I’ve been here, there’s been a nor’easter or other storm almost every year. This one is mild compared to others.</p>
<p>We were considering closing campus, but they didn’t. A couple of offices closed early (administrative offices) and we typically don’t have classes on Fridays anyway, but classes were definitely not canceled on Friday. Public transit was still running and virtually no one drives, plus 99% of students live on campus and there was little danger in being outside. It was just snow.</p>
<p>When Hurricane Sandy hit in October, we canceled class for two days (Monday and Tuesday following the storm) and our on-call team went to 24 hour service instead of just in the evening in case there were student emergencies. We housed the dining hall staff on-campus so that they could stay open and cook for students who couldn’t go get food elsewhere. But there were no power outages or anything, and generally students were in no danger. We only got 11 inches of snow, which isn’t even in the top 10 of storms NYC has seen.</p>
<p>The local news in NYC showed Columbia students enjoying a massive snowball fight… same with BU students in the Boston Common.
When I went to school upstate NY back in the dark ages… I recall massive snowstorm with towering piles of snow outside every building. Most schools are well prepared and frequently late afternoon/evening classes and events are cancelled in serious bad weather as they don’t want to be responsible for off-campus students as well as staff and faculty driving around.</p>
<p>As the parent of two kids who attended northeast schools I’ll admit the least of my concerns was snowstorms. Most schools are well prepared and take good care to insure safety and cohesion. Now that they’re out of school, and still living in the northeast, I seriously worry when these storms come and do their thing of wreaking havoc!</p>
<p>No change at U Rochester, though they only got something like 13 inches. My son is loving it!</p>
<p>My older son - in GA - had his college ended early his Freshman year due to the massive run of tornadoes that ran through the southern states. His college suffered no damage, but power was out and they had little food/water, so opted to send students home early and skipped finals. No student suffered. Those who couldn’t leave right away were assisted in finding places to stay. He also had exciting stories to tell. We were thankful they didn’t have damage as some of the places around U Alabama did…</p>
<p>Weather can happen anywhere. IME colleges try to take care of their students.</p>
<p>Brown University was open for normal operations on Monday, although the school issued a statement that no one (student, faculty, staff) should endanger themselves trying to get to campus. Providence received 18 inches of snow and experienced power outages.</p>
<p>Every school has “essential personnel” who are required to be on campus regardless of the weather (buildings & grounds, food service, public safety officers, and sometimes health services). Make sure your kids thank them!</p>
<p>Yale closed for the third time in its history. The mayor of New Haven asked them to remain closed for a 2nd day, mostly for employees difficulty of getting to campus.</p>
<p>Like the other parent said, being on campus is a party/off day. It’s after graduation, when they live and work and drive in those communities that one has to worry.</p>
<p>My D’s campus got 36 inches of snow. They were closed on Friday, but she had activities on Saturday afternoon. When I called her on Saturday morning, she was out playing in the snow. She said that by Sunday, all of the walkways and parking lots were clear, and all campus buildings were open.</p>