David Burdette, Vice President of Finance and Administrative Services said that CMU's cancellation policy has always been about the safety of the students and faculty.

Burdette meets with CMU Chief of Police Bill Yeagley, Associate Vice President of Facilities Management Stephen Lawrence, and Director of Public Relations of University Communications Steven Smith to determine the conditions of the area.

"If we know a big storm is coming, we get together around lunch the day before and discuss it," Burdette said.

They review conditions of campus sidewalks and parking lots, as well as road conditions of Mount Pleasant, Isabella County, and outlying areas. If the decision is made to close campus, normally around 5 a.m., Smith alerts the local media, e-mails students, and records a voicemail message.

Dustin Himebauch, Lapeer sophomore, is one of the many students questioning CMU's closing policy.Himebauch thinks that the road conditions are tested too early.

"Sometimes by 8 or 9 in the morning, the roads have gotten exponentially worse," he said.

"There's definitely two days where school should have been canceled, and possibly a third," Himebauch said.  "The walking conditions, let alone driving conditions were not safe."

Charlotte senior Abbie DeBach agrees that this year, some days were not safe for students to be on campus, especially Feb. 9, 2010.

"I was walking to my car from Anspach to the commuter lot and I slipped on the sidewalk that was covered in ice," DeBach said. "I slipped and dislocated my ankle and tore three ligaments, and ended up having to have surgery."

"When I was in the emergency room, I was not the only one that slipped and fell on the ice that day on campus," DeBach said.

Burdette said that back in 2008 when CMU had its last weather cancellation, there were several snow days, mostly Tuesdays, and students became upset with the constant cancellations.

"It's really all about safety," Burdette said. Whether it makes students happy or upset does not affect their decision.

"We ask, can people safely get to school or not?" Yeagley said. "Most people can make these decisions themselves. It has to be fairly bad for us to make a recommendation to close school."

"I'm glad I have an opportunity to walk to school everyday," Himebauch said. "I would have taken days off if I had to drive in it."

By Susan Young