By Lex Feuchter / Full360 Correspondent

Students and faculty members were ready to return to Delaware Valley University after winter break, but a heavy snowstorm hit the campus, stalling the regular return-to-school schedule.

Inches of snow blanketed the campus, postponing move-in times, canceling practices and shutting down extracurricular activities for the week.
Students and staff arriving on campus dealt with parking their vehicles through the snow. People trekked through the snow to get around campus, dragging slush on their shoes into buildings, leading to puddles of water.
While snow may be picturesque, dealing with the weather can be a hassle, some students say.
Bailey Smith, a senior majoring in business administration, commented on her experience with snow.
“Due to safety concerns I had to return to campus on a Monday instead of that Sunday, which put pressure on me and my family,” Smith said.
Smith pointed out that some parts of DelVal were particularly dangerous, like the drain between Centennial Hall and Cook Hall. She said it does not drain water out quickly, creating a layer of ice for students to avoid. She expressed her concerns with DelVal’s safety procedure with heavy snowfall.
“I think DelVal needs to make decisions earlier. Some students and staff might already be traveling when they decide to close the campus down. DelVal needs to prepare better and delay more for commuters and professors.”
School officials must plan months in advance to respond to potential snowstorms, which can shutter schools and disrupt classes. In severe weather cases, schools must shut down classes for the day if it is too dangerous for students and faculty to arrive on campus.
“There is a group of cabinet-level people and others who consult on the projection of snow,” said Kathy Howell, the vice president of Marketing and Communication. “My team is responsible for communication to the campus community regarding our response to a snow event.”
Howell said the priority is always the safety of the campus community. Based on the prediction of the snow, her team considers how safe it is to open campus, taking into consideration both traveling concerns and the time it takes to clean the snow.
“We try to notify the school the night before so that everyone knows how to plan. If something changes overnight, the response team gets on another call.”
According to DelVal’s website, schedules are changed around to accommodate the weather conditions. For instance, announcements are made by 10:30 a.m. to address what time the campus will close. There are delays in classes and some classes may get cancelled or held on Zoom.
Another student, Emily Digiuseppe, a conservation and wildlife management major, weighed in on the weather conditions.
Digiuseppe recalled an incident she had with the weather at the beginning of the spring semester in 2024. There were multiple cancellations of classes during the first week back. As a result of this, her classes were switched to virtual. She said that was one of the main problems she had with the weather disrupting her schedule.
“I believe most times there is a snow day, I’ve found the time of notification to be sufficient. Most professors seem very prepared in the event of delays or cancellations. I am usually not thrown off by winter weather personally.”