The University of Toronto’s Mississauga and Scarborough campuses closed on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 12 due to severe weather conditions, leaving UTM students facing a long and cold wait for transportation. University administration made the decision to close UTM at around 12:00 pm that day. The St. George campus remained open for the day, provoking students to vent their frustration on social media.
ANN SHENG/THE VARSITY
The St. George campus last closed at 3 pm on February 8, 2013, when students were encouraged to seek shelter in Robarts Library. The vice-president and provost and the vice-president, human resources and equity share the responsibility of deciding when to close the campus.
At York University, operations were suspended at both the Keele and Glendon campuses effective 2:30 pm on March 12, with all classes cancelled for the remainder of the day and evening. At OCAD University, all classes with a start time of 4:00 pm or later were cancelled. At Humber College, all full-time, continuing education, and online classes at all campuses were cancelled, and campus services were closed effective 1:30 pm.
According to Raymond Noronha, president of the University of Toronto Mississauga Students’ Union (UTMSU), the campus was closed at 1:00 pm because of deteriorating weather conditions. Administration notified students through email, and promoted the closure over social media.
Noronha saw the closure as evidence of the need for heated bus shelters at the campus. According to Noronha, the idea of heated bus shelters has been well received by the administration. University administration is working with students on the plans.
Heated bus shelters have been the subject of much attention recently. Both U of T Voice and Team Unite emphasized the importance of implementing heated shelters on all three campuses during the election last week. A number of UTMSU board of directors candidates have also raised the issue of bus shelters.
According to Laurie Stephens, U of T’s director of media relations, the university administration considers weather reports and city activities when determining the appropriate course of action. “Each campus considers a number of factors with regards to adverse weather, including public transportation conditions, closure of other universities, as well as the status of the public school systems,” said Stephens.
Despite widespread student dissatisfaction, the St. George campus does not always close when UTM and UTSC do. When asked if he thought the St. George campus should close, Noronha pointed out the advantages of accessibility downtown that are not shared by UTM and UTSC, adding, “I think the call not to close the downtown campus was fine.” Munib Sajjad, president of the University of Toronto Students’ Union did not reply to requests for comment.
