While Syracuse University enjoyed Wednesday afternoon off, the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry decided to cancel classes starting only after 5 p.m.

Though SU and ESF students share classes and residence halls, there was little communication between the two universities as each came to its respective decision.

ESF President Neil Murphy Jr. said he heard of SU’s decision to cancel classes starting at 12:45 p.m. in an e-mail.

SU’s Logistics Committee, which made the decision, is comprised of 15 to 20 representatives of the SU community, and does not have a position for an ESF representative, said Chief Financial Officer Louis Marcoccia, chairman of the committee.

ESF did factor the ruling of SU’s Logistics Committee into its decision, but decided that canceling classes starting at 12:45 p.m., as SU did, was not appropriate for the college, Murphy said.

Murphy and Bruce Bongarten, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, met at about 11 a.m. Wednesday and discussed weather reports and class schedules to come to a closing time of 5 p.m., Murphy said.

Many students have labs on Wednesday afternoons that must correlate to what is being presented in lectures, Murphy said.

‘It’s important to keep labs in sequence with class order,’ he said.

Each school did what was best for its students and staff, said both Murphy and Marcoccia

‘People have to make their own decisions based on their facts and circumstances,’ Marcoccia said.

Published on February 14, 2007 at 12:00 pm