Fairfield beach residents peered out of their windows on Monday. The 20-degree weather with constant snow was anything but forgiving. As students headed out of their houses, they covered their faces to protect themselves from the pelting snow. Stepping steadily and slowly, they approached their cars, cautious with the possibility that they could slip on the iced-over ground. Though they couldn’t see out their windshields, they had to figure it out quickly. Fairfield classes were still in session.
When all of the local schools are closed and beach residents cannot even safely travel the two miles to campus, students assume that Fairfield would cancel classes. Unfortunately, the administration decided to wait until five minutes before 2 p.m. classes started to cancel for the remainder of the afternoon.
Most responsible students were already in class at 1:55 on Monday. They had already trekked from their quad dorm rooms or risked their lives driving on Post Road. Not to mention the commuters and faculty who have many miles to travel on I-95 or the Merritt.
Is Fairfield really caring for the whole person? We don’t think so.
Rather than simply complaining about our desire for snowball fights, hot chocolate and movies, we are concerned about the safety of the students, faculty and staff.
In the past, administration has admitted to withholding cancellations to avoid nighttime drinking that results in unnecessary transports to the hospital. Understandable. But when it has already been snowing for seven hours (yes, it started at 6 a.m. and was forecasted the night before), Fairfield should accept that students and faculty should stay safely tucked away in the comfort of their homes.
When there are alerts all over the news and warnings to only travel in a state of emergency, Fairfield should surrender to the cancellation of classes and let everyone remain somewhere dry, warm and safe.
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