Safety first when SFU cancels its classes
Safety is the top consideration Simon Fraser University takes into account when cancelling exams and closing its Burnaby campus, an official said Monday.
Kurt Heinrich, SFU’s director of communications, said the university’s safety officer in consultation with senior administrators decide whether weather and road conditions are safe enough for students, staff and faculty not only to travel up to campus but also to go back down.
He said that during potentially snowy conditions, SFU communicates closely with TransLink throughout the day about the status of bus service to and from campus.
One study found that 88 per cent of undergrads at SFU regularly use public transit/buses to commute to campus. The national average is 57 per cent.
“We have to make a decision on what current conditions are and whether buses can service the mountain but also what conditions are going to be like in two or three hours later when exams are complete,” Heinrich said.
“It’s a really challenging situation and we’re doing the best we can with the information we have.”
SFU’s main campus is located at an elevation of 370 metres (1,214 ft) above sea level on Burnaby Mountain.
On mountains, temperature tends to decrease with increasing height. Depending on other conditions such as cloud cover and precipitation, temperatures can drop 0.5 degrees Celsius or more with each 100 m increase in elevation.
“We do really understand the frustration of a lot of our commuting members and the inconvenience the closures have caused,” Heinrich said.
“The overriding priority is always based on safety of student, staff, faculty and the community on the mountain.”
Chris Bryan, senior media adviser at TransLink, said TransLink meets with SFU every October to review its annual snow plan.
“Simon Fraser University is a unique micro climate,” Bryan said. “It can be raining down below in the rest of the region and up above, it can be snowing heavily.”
TransLink cancelled service Friday evening when there were whiteout conditions on Burnaby Mountain. Exams cancelled by the weather have been rescheduled to the week starting Monday, Dec. 19. A total of 4,691 students missed exams due to cancellations on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.