By Nicole Fuchs
Special to The Equinox
The first snowfall of the season on Sunday evening and Monday had FDU Metro commuting students depending on the university’s weather alert system, which broadcasts information in severe weather. Monday’s closing was announced at 5:18 a.m., via email.
For Metro’s 6,000-plus commuters, some traveling over a 100 miles to school, but most living in a 30-mile radius of the campus, that wasn’t early enough.
“Living in Vernon, I give myself about two hours on a regular day to get to my 8 a.m. nursing classes,” said Rachael Razze, who has about a 50-mile commute to school. “Today, the weather alert went out at 6 a.m, and because I live in Vernon, the weather is much worse up here, so I would have left my house around 5 a.m. This means I would have already been on the road, which has happened before. I really wish they would let us know the night before in these cases.”
Razze said that, with two kids at home, knowing the closing the night before would help her plans, and her kids.
Even those who live a few minutes away would like earlier notice.
“Living eight miles from campus is not that bad on a typical day, but on a day like today, with snow and sleet, the commute that is usually half hour can turn into an hour or more, making me need to leave over an hour earlier than usual,” said junior Stephanie Gaona from North Bergen. “Waiting until 6 a.m. to let us know is selfish as I was already up getting ready for a dreaded commute.”
This deadline article was written as part of Professor Mo Krochmal’s news writing class.
