By Madelyne VanHemert
Vol States spring 24’ semester was pushed back a week due to weather closures. What goes into deciding when Volunteer State Community College decides to close campus?
There are several factors that play into making the decision.
The semester started out abnormal for Vol State’s students. Classes were set to start on Jan. 16, however, students did not see the inside of a classroom until Jan. 23, an entire week later.
“A lot of factors go into this. The first one is whatever we can learn about the conditions of the roads. That is hard for us to ascertain because we are not out there, so we really have to rely on news reports, state highway patrol, police…we also take a look at what the local K-12 schools are doing because they have a good feel for their local area…” said Dr. Russ Deaton, Vol State Interim President who makes the official decision on campus closures.
All weather resources are taken into account regarding which campus is being focused on, to gather the highest amount of perspectives.
“We can’t just think about Nashville Pike and 386, we’re thinking about every little back road,” said Dr. Deaton.
When making this decision the following is taken into consideration: balancing the safety of students and faculty while also honoring the responsibility of remaining open.
“The biggest drawback is the missed class time, especially with the start of the semester. Trying to adjust the remainder of the semester so that we get a full semester in, that’s the hardest part,” said Dr. Deaton.
Overall there is a lot of thought and consideration that happens for the students and faculty of Vol State Community College when deciding to stay open, or close campus during inclement weather. Every resource both local and state-wide is utilized to decide the course of action to take with the best interest of Vol State in mind.
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