As winter approaches, the frigid weather gives Colorado State University students hope for a snow day. Although snow days at CSU almost never happen, when they do, there are some key factors that go into the decision.
There is a correlation between when the City of Fort Collins and CSU choose to close down, said Mark Gill, chair of the Public Safety team at CSU.
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“The University is most likely to close if the city and county offices are closed,” Gill said. “One reason this is an important factor is because a city closure means city buses are not running, and many of our students and employees depend upon those to get to campus.”
Traffic and construction do not play a role in determining if the University should be closed or not — Gill said students and staff must plan adequate time to get to and from campus.
There have been times where the University has closed, and it seems most of these are due simply to snow. Dell Rae Ciaravola, a University spokeswoman, collected data about school closures over the past six years. Ciaravola said there is no one reason why the University closes due to snow.
“It’s a combination of variables that add up,” Ciaravola said.
2009: For one day, the University closed at 2 p.m. due to snow.
2010: No snow or weather delays.
2011: No days with closures, but some classes cancelled for one day due to tree damage on campus.
2012: No snow or weather delays.
2013: Closed on 4/15 and 4/17 because of snow.
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2014: Closed on 9/12 because of flooding. No snow closures.
2015: No closures to date.
Collegian Reporter Pamela Shapiro can be reached at news@collegian.com or via Twitter @pbshapiro.
