The "storm of the century" created marginally less talk than the presidential race with the same stunned reaction on the faces of the majority of the school's population: this is it? Yup, sorry, stayed tuned for "Dawson's." And those who chose to brave the horrible, no-good, very bad storm found their way to class pleasantly clear, due to the tireless efforts of the grounds crew, heard scraping away all night.
The nonessential staff were given the day off, with the understanding that most of them travel to Amherst from the broader community and hence would have a harder time getting home, but class cancellations were left to the discretion of professors-in accordance with a long-time policy.
And a great policy it is too, because if after a little precipitant precipitation your professor can make it to class, you should too. At the beginning of March, it may seem like the semester is never-ending, but come finals, you will be wishing desperately for that one extra day to review some esoteric or uncovered concept you're responsible for.
Professors, being professors, have probably taken into account the variety of students in their class, and if, as it often happens, the class is mostly Amherst students, there is no need to cancel. However, if the class has many non-Amherst students, and the material is such that it should be heard by all members, the professor will take that into account and proceed accordingly.
Student-run facilities are a different matter. However happily one may go for several days without needing the resources of the comptroller or the German department, the services that rely more heavily on student workers-the athletic facility, Schwemm's-should stay open for the reason that we keep classes going. Because nothing is more disappointing than stopping by Schwemm's on a cold morning and being greeted by locked refrigerators.
Actually, there is something more disappointing, and that would be hiking all the way to UMass and being greeted by locked doors. It would be relatively easy to set up a system, on NOTE or even one linking off the Amherst main page, that would give information to students on the status of their off-campus classes. Although the Five Colleges claim to be a consortium, it is ridiculous to expect their administrative policies to coincide exactly, but the least they could do is work out a way of notifying students on their respective snow policies.
So Amherst life goes on, and the storm of the century caused nary a wrinkle in the smooth workings of this fairest of colleges. In fact, it has only improved our stamina, strengthened our constitutions and given us incessant complainers another reason to gripe-and that, perhaps, is the true meaning of the beauteous snowy season.