In response to heavy snowfall, the University canceled classes and closed the campus to non-critical staff on Wednesday.
At 5:45 a.m., the University posted an update on its home page and notified students of the closing by issuing an alert through the Princeton Telephone and E-mail Notification System (PTENS).
University spokesperson Cass Cliatt '96 noted that weather-related closings are rare.
"We believe such a closing has happened only three other times in the past 16 years — in 1996 for a blizzard, in 2003 for heavy snow and blizzard conditions, and in April of 2007 because of heavy flooding in the region," Cliatt said in an e-mail.
The nor'easter delivered more than a foot of snow to most of New Jersey, with some parts of Mercer County reporting more than 17 inches. All three Rutgers campuses, The College of New Jersey, Seton Hall University and Rider University were also closed the entire day, while Columbia closed at 3 p.m.
"Facilities staff are engaged in snow removal that includes clearing parking lots, walkways and University roadways," Cliatt explained Wednesday afternoon.
She noted then that it was "too early to speculate" about whether classes would be canceled on Thursday. As of Wednesday evening, the University planned to resume normal operations at 4 a.m. on Thursday.
Monitoring weather, making decisions on closure
On the date of a hazardous weather event, the University's extreme weather group holds a conference call at 5:15 a.m. and determines by 6 a.m whether it will be necessary to close or delay campus operations. The group is composed of senior academic representatives and members from the Office of Human Resources, the Department of Public Safety, the Grounds and Building Management Department and the Forrestal Campus.
For the one to two days prior to anticipated extreme weather, Public Safety officers and grounds management staff collect information "related to road conditions, emergency travel advisories and ... the ability to clear campus walkways and parking lots," Cliatt said.
Cliatt noted that the group considers factors beyond whether staff can safely arrive on campus, such as whether some staff will be able to secure child care when schools and daycare centers are closed.
But, she added, "because Princeton has a nearly 100 percent-residential campus, we don't confront the challenge of student commuters."
The extreme weather group then relays its determination to the Office of Communications, which notifies members of the campus community via the University home page, the University's emergency weather site and the "snow line," a call-in voice messaging system.
Cliatt said the extreme weather group will convene discussions again early Thursday morning to decide whether campus would be open on Thursday.
"It's always our goal to deploy our resources in the most aggressive and effective ways possible to restore operations so that teaching and research can move forward," she said. "We balance that, of course, with ensuring the safety of all members of our community, including the facilities staff charged with clearing snow."
Student reaction
Students called the snow day an opportunity to relax and play in the snow.
David Andresen '13, who is from northern California, said the snow day was a "foreign concept" to him.
"To see it in practice was mind-boggling," he said. "It exceeded my expectations. I was glad class was canceled, and I didn't think there could be so much snow. We had a massive snowball fight. We built snow forts and challenged another group of people to a snowball fight to the death. I really enjoyed the quality of the snow today. It was just about the best snow you could have for making snowballs."
Students from areas that normally experience heavy snowfall were also pleased.
"Since I'm from upstate New York, I've had a lot of snow days, but I didn't think it happened in Princeton, because Princeton is so hardcore," Stephanie Park '13 said.
Park woke up at 9 a.m. only to go back to sleep until 3:50 p.m.
"I was really excited about the snow day, because it gives me a day of not doing anything,” she said.
Daniel Cullen ’13, also from upstate New York, capitalized on the snow day with fort-building and “an epic snowball fight,” he said.
Snowball fights also erupted between various rivals on campus. Tiger Inn and Ivy Club battled in the afternoon, while the College Republicans and College Democrats traded snowballs in the evening.
Three days after the Super Bowl, Alyssa Mancini ’13 and a group of friends played tackle football using tightly packed snow as a football.
But Mancini also noted a drawback of the snow day.
"I like the snow day because we have no class, but now some of the classes are rescheduled during reading period, which is not so great," she said.
Cliatt noted that cancelled classes are considered excused absences, though individual faculty and instructors can choose to replace missed class with additional requirements or work with students to schedule make-up classes.
For Emi Nakamura '13, the snow day provided the opportunity to embark on a grand construction project: building a six-foot-tall igloo outside Whitman College.
"We built it without using any water," Nakamura said. "We took the recycling bins from our rooms and filled them with snow to build blocks. Then we piled up the blocks and filled in the cracks."
Nakamura said she was pleased with the result: a thick-walled, nearly soundproof structure.
Some students were walled up in their normal buildings, however, taking the opportunity to catch up on schoolwork.
"I didn't go outside," Maple Zhang '13 said. "Instead, I just caught up on my work, but still, I'm not caught up on my work."
Staff writers Annie Khoa, Ha-Kyung Kwon, Tara Thean, Lavanya Jose and Henry Rome contributed reporting.
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