Morning classes canceled at YSU

By Denise Dick

denise_dick@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown State University students arrived for class Thursday morning in the dark.

The failure of an electrical feeder line caused the problem, and power was restored after about two hours. Several buildings, including Cushwa, Ward-Beecher, DeBartolo and Jones halls, were affected.

Students, though, took to social media sites, complaining about being made to go to classes when power was out and temperatures were in the single digits.

Because steam heats most of the campus, they remained heated during the outage, but fans powered by electricity weren’t working, said Ron Cole, YSU spokesman.

YSU doesn’t cancel classes often, but it does happen.

This morning is one of those times. Morning classes are canceled because of the weather. Classes will resume at noon today, but the university remains open, and employees should report to work at their regular times.

“The overriding consideration in all of these decisions is the safety of everyone involved,” said Cole. “That’s our top consideration.”

The university consults a variety of sources including weather reports and forecasts in making decisions such as whether to close.

If conditions are deemed unsafe, the appropriate actions are taken, Cole said.

Universities don’t have the same considerations as elementary, middle and high schools.

“Our students and employees are adults and as adults, they are capable of preparing for the inclement weather and using their best judgment to, if warranted, change their scheduled departure,” Cole said.

Also, because students are paying for their education, university officials believe that closing deprives students of that service, he said.