This Week in Villanova History

Blizzard Hits Villanova

By Marianne Lavelle

Last week the Villanova Law School, Graduate School, and University College were forced to close due to inclement weather and hazardous driving conditions, while the undergraduate school, in accordance with policy, remained open.

Dean O’Brien closed the Law School last Tuesday and Thursday. He said that since the Law School is composed almost entirely of commuters, it would have been impractical to hold classes on those days. In regard to the undergraduate division, he felt that it is common for schools with large resident populations to hold classes in poor weather.

University College was closed last Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday morning. Dean Bruderle said that while full -time undergraduate classes are never cancelled, the deans of University College and the Graduate School cancel classes whenever they feel it is appropriate. Bruderle added that 99 percent of University College students are commuters.

On Tuesday and Thursday nights, the Villanova Graduate School was also closed. Dean Downey of the grad school added that he and the dean of University College together decide whether the schools should be closed, After the decision is made to close the school, Downey then informs the department chairman and the switchboard operator of the closing.

Mr. Edward Murray, assistant to the president of the university affirmed that though individual teachers and professors may cancel classes, the undergraduate university is never closed. “Our policy is that the undergraduate university normally stays open because of the large number of resident students and because a good number of commuters arrive despite the weather,” he said.

Murray added that “a fair number of faculty live on campus or in the vicinity. The school would probably close if there were three feet of snow,” he said, “but not with the usual ten or twelve inches we’ve been getting.”

When one of the respective schools is closed, the dean of the Law School, University College or Graduate School, will call in a number to be announced on the radio stations for the students. The Law School’s number is 471, the University College number is 2475, and the graduate school number is 524. The undergraduate university has no such number.