Closure should have extended winter break

This semester, classes started a week later than planned as Lewis & Clark faculty and students got a big surprise: ice storms and frigid temperatures. Although LC emailed all the students and faculty addressing the winter weather’s negative impacts on travel and class, many students had returned to campus a day or two prior, only to be let down when classes were canceled.

In my case, I had to wake up early for my 10:25 a.m. flight from San Diego to Portland on the day before my classes were initially scheduled to commence. Once I arrived on campus, it was as if I had walked into a winter wonderland: the grounds were coated in icy snow and the icicles on the trees glittered like diamonds. On the downside, as I expected, the outside temperature was at its height at 25 degrees Fahrenheit, later dropping to 17 degrees in the middle of the night. While I was initially excited to experience the frigid temperatures, I was not well prepared for them as I had just returned from mild San Diego. 

Once I received the email about the cancellation of the first classes, my appreciation of the snow halted, as I began to feel let down. I had woken up at 6:30 a.m. for my flight to Portland, landing half-past noon so I could have the time to unpack and pick up my books. To catch the early flight, my goodbyes with my parents and my pets were brisk, just to have all activities canceled when I arrived, making the end of my winter break feel anticlimactic. 

As soon as it became apparent that all classes would be postponed due to weather, I wished that LC could have canceled the first week of classes before we came back and let us stay home for an extra week. While the snow-coated campus was exciting, we faced potential power outages and panic-bought food during the occasional runs to Fred Meyer in case it became too dangerous for the Bon to operate. Thus, I began to greatly miss being back home, sleeping in till 11 a.m. with my cat purring and dozing alongside me. After a month living my luxurious life at home, I returned to an uncomfortable bed and subpar Bon food, now with the additional drawback of every activity on campus being canceled.

Despite the gloomy and boring ambiance on campus, I treated my boredom with admiring the winter wonderland. I marveled the glittering ice-covered trees and the thick ice blanketing the reflecting pool that allowed me to walk and glide across the frozen pool without worrying about falling through. Until the last bits of snow covered the inclines, I enjoyed sledding down them with a cardboard mat. These bits of amusement and admiration prevented me from catching cabin fever, making being trapped on campus more bearable than the time during NSO week.

Overall, I think the school should have decided to extend winter break by a week, as the winter weather made it imminent for classes to be canceled. While I enjoyed the ice and snow, it would have been better if I stayed home, as I wouldn’t have gotten bored or worried about potential power outages.