UVic students frustrated with university for remaining open despite treacherous conditions

It’s no big secret that Victoria can’t handle snow – we simply don’t have the resources for it! It is understandable though, considering the city receives a fraction of the snowfall experienced by other parts of the country, if any at all.

Given the unpreparedness for the amount of snow we received this week, most authorities are advising residents to avoid travel whenever possible; advice that has gone unheeded by Victoria’s largest university.

Several students at the University of Victoria are exasperated with the institution, which decided to remain open on Wednesday despite prevailing treacherous conditions across the city and on campus itself.

According to one student, several pathways and parking lots still have a large accumulation of snow, despite UVic’s announcement that they have been cleared, making it dangerous for students to be on campus.

Based on tweets written in response to UVic’s ‘campus is open’ message, quite a few students share these concerns.

One individual posted an image of a closure notice at the door of a food court on campus which expresses that the eatery is closed due to weather conditions. This elicited the question: if their own staff aren’t coming in due to the snow and lack of safety, then why are they making students do so?

https://twitter.com/mayaberglof/status/1095751461445738496

The school’s decision to remain open highly impacts those students who have midterms this week; the choice for these people is between risking their safety trying to get to campus and losing out on a large chunk of their grades.

When this was pointed out to the school by students on Twitter, UVic simply stated, “If you feel unsafe travelling to campus, please contact your instructor or supervisor as soon as possible.”

This leaves the decision in the hands of professors, who may or may not allow students to take their midterms at a later date. The arbitrary nature of this option is described by one student, Maryam Mahvelati, who also took to Twitter to share what her professor told her when she made such a request:

According to UVic’s website, the decision to keep the school open was based on the fact that Environment Canada’s snowfall warning for Greater Victoria ended this morning, and that “BC Transit says most routes are being serviced but expect delays”.

Based on a 1 p.m. update from BC Transit, several routes remain cancelled, including bus #12, which is the only direct route that circles Gordon Head (where many students reside) and stops at the UVic bus loop.

As mentioned before, despite the fact that the snowfall warning has ended, several walkways and parking lots at UVic remain covered in snow, as evidenced by these images uploaded by Twitter user @yoonmin44777687:

In a similar move on Monday, UVic was criticized for leaving the campus open in the morning despite a heavy snowfall advisory issued by Environment Canada.

The school eventually cancelled classes later in the day, by which time many students were stranded on campus for hours due to transit delays and adverse weather conditions.

Victoria Buzz has reached out to the University of Victoria for comments and clarifications.

Here’s what the students have to say: