photo courtesy of Stephanie Koeller
On Monday, Jan. 26, the highly-anticipated winter storm Juno made landfall and much of the east coast, including New Jersey, declared a state of emergency. However, as the storm moved east, many areas in the storm zone that had braced for a blizzard only received a few inches of snow. South Orange was one.
Even though the blizzard was not as powerful as expected, Seton Hall reacted cautiously by closing the afternoon of Jan. 26 and all day Jan. 27. Parking restrictions were put in place, cafeteria schedules altered and public safety precautions were issued, bringing the University to a standstill until all operations returned to normal on Wednesday, Jan 28.
Despite what many saw as a weather false alarm, some students applauded Seton Hall for its actions regarding the snow.
“It was difficult, but the University accommodated the students to the best of their ability,” said Jake Leary, a sophomore who lives on campus.
Many alterations were made because of the forecasts.
Thomas Giordano, assistant director of the Department of Public Safety, said: “SHU Public Safety monitors National Weather Service forecasts and bulletins from the State Office of Emergency Management” which allows the department to “make recommendations as to changes to the university’s operating status.”
Along with ensuring that the university takes proper action, Giordano stated, “Public Safety also coordinates with other SHU departments such as Student Services, Housing and Residence Life and Facilities and Engineering to help ensure that basic services are provided to the resident population.”
Students received numerous emails with the changes to ensure student’s safety such as “SHUFLY services will end at 2 p.m. today and will remained canceled during the weather emergency.”
Cheryl Janus, assistant director of housing services, informed residents of Seton Hall in an email: “We are working with the GDS staff to make sure all resident students are fed during the storm.”
This included extended hours of the dining hall, yet shortened hours at locations such as the Dunkin Donuts on campus. Donovan Griggs, a freshman, agreed with the University closing to keep students safe but felt “the dining alterations were unnecessary.”
This is not the first time that snow has affected Seton Hall students. Mike Brake, a sophomore who commuter, recalled the negative effects the snow had on him last year.
“It makes my commute from about 15 minutes to about 45 since the plows don’t come by my house until later on in the day,” said Brake.
Snow affects the commuters much more than the residents because, according to Brake, “there is a shortage of parking since they close off the outside parking.” Due to the university closing, this was not an issue for this specific storm.
Cailee Valente can be reached at cailee.valente@student.shu.edu.
