Ohio State’s Columbus campus has cancelled classes just 19 times since 1978, as the threshold for a class cancellation on a college campus is far higher than that of K-12. When considering whether to cancel in-person classes due to severe weather, information is gathered, and a recommendation is brought forward by the executive vice president and provost. Ohio State’s Emergency Management and Fire Prevention director, Robert Armstrong, works with units throughout the university to assess road conditions, scheduled events, weather impacts, and more.
“There are so many different groups that come together, as well as some of our off-campus partners,” he said during a recent episode of the City of Ohio State podcast. “We all come together, we discuss what the available information is, what is the intel that we have, and then we present a joint recommendation that is carried forward by the provost. Ultimately, the provost and president are going to make that decision based on the information that we have.”
A variety of factors are involved in the decision to cancel in-person classes, Armstrong said.