Iowa State cancels classes campus-wide

Chris Jorgensen

UPDATE: This article has been updated to reflect the extended cancellation times announces Tuesday morning.

 

Classes will not be held at Iowa State beginning Tuesday and lasting until 12 p.m. Thursday, the university announced Tuesday.

In addition, all university offices will be closed.

The university cited dangerously low temperatures as a factor in the decision. Forecasts for Wednesday call for windchills as low as -50 degrees. At those temperatures, frost bite can occur in 10 minutes or less, according to the National Weather Service.

This is the first campus-wide cancelation since Feb. 20, 2014.

In response to the cancelations, most students said that they will use the day as a catch up for sleeping and homework. 

“For me, it gives me a break since I teach and my class for Wednesday is canceled, so it is a day for me to catch up on grading,” Avani Khadilkar said.

Iowa State’s Environmental Health and Safety department’s website states that “Safety is the first concern, but a strong second is providing students with a good education … If we feel most students, faculty and staff can get to campus safely, we are likely to remain in session.”

“I think we all are in the same boat, just chilling in our rooms and try to not freeze, go to the closest dining hall for food,” said Garret Taylor, sophomore in mechanical engineering.

The decision came after the University of Iowa canceled all classes from 5 p.m. Tuesday until 12 p.m. Thursday.

“I was thinking of doing hot cocoa and make banana bread [with friends], just to chill out and enjoy that we can stay up and sleep late,” said Richard Gardner, senior in Kinesiology and Health.

Classes will resume 12 p.m. Thursday. There is no university policy in place to make up days lost to weather cancelations.