UW-Eau Claire administrators should consider the physical safety of students, as well as the university’s legal safety, when deciding whether to cancel classes due to weather.

The snowfall that began in the early morning of March 13 and continued through much of the day prompted high schools in the Eau Claire and Twin Cities areas to cancel school, according to TV and radio reports that morning.

Universities in the region, including the University of Minnesota, also canceled classes, according to the reports.

Eau Claire students, meanwhile, received e-mails stating that classes would still run as scheduled, but students should contact professors if they did not feel safe traveling in the weather. Classes beginning after 5 p.m. were canceled.

Vice Chancellor Andy Soll said the university’s top administrators all consulted on the decision. They considered the weather, the large proportion of students who do not drive to class and how a cancellation just before spring break would affect scheduling.

The conditions on March 13 created an unsafe environment for students, regardless of how far they reside from classes – a condition that could make the university partially liable for any injuries.

While commuters took an obvious risk coming to class, students who walked to class risked being hit by motorists losing control, especially in cases where students had to walk in the streets because sidewalks were heaped with snow.

Students who live on campus and had to walk down the hill, meanwhile, also faced dangerous conditions, since it wasn’t cleared for much of the day.

Many professors penalize students for each missed class. Students who did have exams on Monday and didn’t know if they would be rescheduled, meanwhile, had no choice but to attend.

The university should have considered these factors more carefully to prevent student injury and subsequent legal ramifications.