Weather Woes
I read with great interest the recent item about the college’s inclement weather policy.
https://www.stlawrencecollege.ca/about/college-reports-and-policies/inclement-weather-policy/
It was gratifying to learn that, if at all possible, notifications would be posted by 6:30 a.m. about any cancellation of classes or other service interruptions that day. This would be done through various means, including:
No such policies existed in the early days of SLC, nor were the various social media and other Internet options available for communicating the need to cancel college operations because of bad weather. I remember this vividly because of an experience I had just about 50 years ago. It would have been during the winter of 1971 or 1972, as best I can recall. I was living in Brockville at the time and was teaching mostly on Kingston Campus, while also driving to Cornwall
Campus a couple days a week to teach some government courses in the Assessment Program there because the teacher who had handled those had left.
The forecast of heavy snow had materialized and I got up early that morning to drive to Kingston. It was a long and tiring trip but I got to the campus after about two hours, instead of the usual one. I took one look at the snowbound parking lot at the Kingston Campus and made a strategic detour to the home of my uncle and aunt, who lived in a house right beside the notorious Lakeview Manor Hotel in Portsmouth. I drove my car into their driveway as far as I could, essentially burying it in a snowbank, and then walked up to the campus. As I walked into the main entrance about 10:30, someone in the hall (I have now forgotten who – or perhaps have suppressed the painful memory – explained “Goodness Dick, someone should have thought to phone you; classes are cancelled today.” I returned to my uncle and aunt’s house, went in for a brief visit, shovelled my car out of their driveway snowbank and drove back to Brockville, arriving home in early afternoon.
In closing, I would emphasize that this is a true account of what happened that winter day and not a snow job.
I read with great interest the recent item about the college’s inclement weather policy.
https://www.stlawrencecollege.ca/about/college-reports-and-policies/inclement-weather-policy/
It was gratifying to learn that, if at all possible, notifications would be posted by 6:30 a.m. about any cancellation of classes or other service interruptions that day. This would be done through various means, including:
- Email will be sent to all students and staff via college email accounts.
- Notifications will be posted on the college website homepage.
- Local media will be notified by college officials.
- Notifications will be posted on official college social media: Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
No such policies existed in the early days of SLC, nor were the various social media and other Internet options available for communicating the need to cancel college operations because of bad weather. I remember this vividly because of an experience I had just about 50 years ago. It would have been during the winter of 1971 or 1972, as best I can recall. I was living in Brockville at the time and was teaching mostly on Kingston Campus, while also driving to Cornwall
Campus a couple days a week to teach some government courses in the Assessment Program there because the teacher who had handled those had left.
The forecast of heavy snow had materialized and I got up early that morning to drive to Kingston. It was a long and tiring trip but I got to the campus after about two hours, instead of the usual one. I took one look at the snowbound parking lot at the Kingston Campus and made a strategic detour to the home of my uncle and aunt, who lived in a house right beside the notorious Lakeview Manor Hotel in Portsmouth. I drove my car into their driveway as far as I could, essentially burying it in a snowbank, and then walked up to the campus. As I walked into the main entrance about 10:30, someone in the hall (I have now forgotten who – or perhaps have suppressed the painful memory – explained “Goodness Dick, someone should have thought to phone you; classes are cancelled today.” I returned to my uncle and aunt’s house, went in for a brief visit, shovelled my car out of their driveway snowbank and drove back to Brockville, arriving home in early afternoon.
In closing, I would emphasize that this is a true account of what happened that winter day and not a snow job.