If I can slide my feet without friction on the sidewalks from one university building to another, I should not be walking to school.

If I slip on ice multiple times while walking in the grass, I should not be walking to school.

If I am terrified of crossing the street because I do not know if a car will be able to stop, I should not be walking to school.

If I have to physically crawl up an incline, not a hill, an incline, I should not be walking to school.

If it takes an hour to cross a parking lot, I should not be walking to school.

If the University President says they have done all that they can for the sidewalks and all of this still occurs, I should not be walking to school.

If students are breaking their limbs on ice, I should not be walking to school.

If all other schools in the city are closed, I should not be walking to school.

If students slip on stairs and smack their heads on the way down, I should not be walking to school.

If it takes me 30 minutes to walk what usually takes me 10, I should not be walking to school.

If I am scared of stepping off the curb, I should not be walking to school.

If cars are stalling out trying to get up into a parking lot, I should not be walking to school.

If neighbors are coaching me on how and where to walk from one patch of grass to another, I should not be walking to school.

If 9/10 students I talk to say that they fell on the ice, I should not be walking to school.

If the University sends out a "you are encouraged to use your
judgment about your own safety" email, I should not be walking to school.

When Truman State University does not take action to keep students safe in the terrible weather, it shows that the school is more focused on the education of their students than their health. One of the most common injuries to occur when there is ice on the ground is a head injury. The average person experiences extreme symptoms for 7-10 days after getting a concussion. If going to school for one day may force you to be pulled from class for a week, then I do not understand how that day is worth the injury procured. Truman is known for having a rigorous curriculum that forces students to feel obligated to come to class even under the most dire of circumstances. The email coming from the University about "us[ing] your own judgment" comes across as the pride of the University and their inability to accept that they should have cancelled class, instead, they are leaving it up to the discretion of the professors who have already been on campus for 2 hours and the students who are known for being so dedicated to their education that "I cannot miss class" is probably uttered more on days like today than any other phrase.

So to encourage Truman to put the safety of their students first, I have come up with a few possible solutions to the issue at hand:

Cancel class.

Delay the start.

Anything.

If professors are worried about falling behind in their schedules, send out the powerpoint for the lecture to the students and have them learn it on their own. Next class go through it quickly or simply see if students have any questions. If they do not want to send out their powerpoint, have students reread the chapter in the book, then cover the highlights in class.

If professors have a quiz or test in the class, reschedule it to another class period. If it will mess up their schedule too much, have them put it on Blackboard for students to take online while they are safe inside their homes, or reschedule to a different point in time that is not during a class time.

If none of these solutions work for the administration, I would be happy to sit down and discuss a different possible solution. Just let me know. In the mean time, I will be sitting at work on campus, fretting walking to my class because school is still in session.