Last monday’s snow day was an unexpected opportunity for Le Moyne College students to sleep in, catch up on homework or to go sledding on the Jesuit residence hill.

The only potentially worrisome question, considering the potential impact on the spring calendar: Was there a catch? Would a day off now mean students will lose a day off from spring break or need to attend classes a day later, before exams?

Joe Della Posta, director of communications for Le Moyne, provides reassurance: There will be no impact, he said, because the possibility of snow days is always built into the college schedule.

Della Posta said the decision to close on Monday was determined by Provost James Hannan, whose duties include making that call. Hannan based that choice on other college closures in the area, Della Posta said, as well as conversations with facilities staff that handle plowing on campus. College officials also monitored local weather forecasts for a glimpse of what was coming.

A major factor in canceling classes, Della Posta, was the safety and well-being of Le Moyne commuters, many of whom travel in from areas closer to Lake Ontario, communities that received heavier snowfall.

The announcement of the closing was posted at 7:33 a.m. Della Posta said that was later than usual, because typically Le Moyne officials monitor other school closures in the area in assessing regional conditions. This week, most area high schools and elementary schools are on break.

Even if there were another snow day in this wintry semester, Della Posta said, he doubts it would have an impact on the schedule. In his 23 years on campus, there’s never been a winter severe enough that a snow day – or snow days – cost students any future days off.

By a Le Moyne 374-01 journalism class: Lily Christopher, Marialicia Vick, Dzenan Hozo, Kenan Hozo, Michael Leahy, Ashley Carter, Richard Dann, Andrew Janowski, Erica Wu, Sophia Melone, Delaina Palmatier, Branwyn Lupton, Declan Sommer, Sydney Laniak, Grace Crooks and Jordan Roy.