Christian Cieri / llustrator
As of 3 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon, UR President Joel Seligman, , has decided not to cancel classes for the snowfall that is predicted to hit the Northeast in the next coming week. According to weather.com, snowfall is expected to hit on Mar. 6, but Seligman has no fear.
“Bring it on!” said Seligman, when asked about the impending snowfall. “I’ve been here for ten years, and I haven’t met a snowfall that I couldn’t shovel my way out of,” he added while flexing his arms in an attempt to mimic strength.
Seligman is notorious for never cancelling classes in the face of severe weather. He attributes his stubbornness to his days at the University of California, Los Angeles, where they haven’t seen snow fall since 1962.
“We’re right up there academically with UCLA, so why not match them in their diligence for attending class,” boasted Seligman. “I am more than a president; I am a teacher too, and my goal is to teach these kids not only how to navigate through life but how to navigate their way to class.”
Seligman then broke out into laughter as he recounted the time he sent out an email the morning of a ten-inch snowfall telling students that they were encouraged to bring their shovels to class.
“To be honest, it was more of an economic move,” admitted Seligman. “That morning, we had set up shovel stands for students to buy shovels or else they couldn’t graduate on time. We made a killing.”
Students are already up in arms about the lack of cancellation. Many have begun to protest outside of Wilson Commons but have to be wary of the 30 foot distance they must keep from the doors, so as not to spread their negativity too far, per school rules.
This situation seemed eerily similar to actions taken by former Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg, who was also notorious for holding off on school cancellations, even during huge snow storms. After doing a little digging, it was discovered that Bloomberg and Seligman are actually good friends who meet up at Harvard Alumni events every year. A photo is reported to have surfaced of the two men showing off what appear to be weather-controlling machines, but that picture can no longer be found.
“This sucks,” said Eric Johnson, a senior from New York City. “I haven’t had a snow day in 19 years of being in school. Just when I thought I had left one tyrant, I fall into the hands of another.”
As always, students are encouraged to voice their opinions through paperwork that can be found in Lattimore at the CCAS desk. However, in order to fill out a form you must have a cumulative GPA of 4.1 or higher and be enrolled in at least 30 credit hours at the time of submission.
Kinder is a member of
the class of 2015.
