This article was updated at 11:02 p.m.
For the fifth time this semester, classes were canceled Monday due to a severe weather policy.
The policy will be in place from 2 p.m. until 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. Monday classes were after 2:30 p.m., but Duke Clinics have remained open according to normal schedule. Essential service positions also remained at work. According to the DukeAlert website, the University is operating normally on Tuesday after 9 a.m.
The decision to enact the policy and cancel class was made after consulting with a meteorologist and receiving information from the National Weather Service, said Kyle Cavanaugh, vice president for administration and emergency coordinator. A difficult afternoon commute was expected for people traveling to and from the University, leading to the closure.
He noted, however, that the weather did not turn out to be as severe as originally forecasted and there has not been as much precipitation as expected.
The buses have been running on a normal schedule except routes have been added near Duke Hospital to accommodate workers leaving early.
North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill all canceled classes as well starting at 3 p.m., 12 p.m. and 2 p.m., respectively. Durham Public Schools dismissed students three hours early and canceled all after-school activities.
“Right now we know that we’re going to see freezing temperatures through tonight and into tomorrow morning,” Cavanaugh said. “If the evening holds on, we should be in pretty good shape tomorrow.”
Cavanaugh said the decision to implement the policy, which was released just after 10 a.m., was made early to allow people ample time to return home before the worst of the sleet and rain began to fall.
The decision on whether to reschedule classes will be made in the coming days at the discretion of the Provost’s office, Cavanaugh said.
“It’s too soon to say anything definitive, but to a first approximation I expect we will have to provide an opportunity for classes to be made up,” wrote Steve Nowicki, dean and vice provost for undergraduate education, in an email Monday.
Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta said that administrative policies regarding weather have not changed but this has been one of the coldest winters the University has experienced in recent memory.
“I’ve had enough of it,” Moneta said.
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