Monday mornings are unpleasant. Monday mornings after the Super Bowl are even more unpleasant. That screeching alarm is a jarring reminder that the reprieve of the weekend has ended, and class, work and other activities will resume.

Walking across campus Sunday night, I didn’t think there was a chance we would have class. There was sitting water across campus, and the freezing rain kept falling. The forecast predicted a transition to freezing temperatures and snow around 2 a.m., freezing solid the puddles that dotted the campus. I watched on-campus snow removal efforts at 6:30 that evening, but I assumed the attempt, although valiant, would not be enough.

Fast forward to Monday morning, 7:30. My alarm goes off, and I check my email before my eyes are even open. At that moment, disappointment set in; we did indeed have class.

Once I got my morning coffee in and got myself out the door, the day wasn’t bad. I had to contend with an icy parking lot and slushy walkways, but as a residential student the weather didn’t make my day that much worse.

The desire for the day off is natural, but, at the end of the day, I have to say I’m glad Ashland University didn’t cancel classes for several reasons.

First, this isn’t high school anymore. I went to a public school, meaning I can’t calculate how much I spent for every minute in the classroom like I can here at AU. $30,000 of total cost for a semester isn’t cheap, and I want every possible bit of education and experience that I can squeeze out of AU. Canceling classes gets in the way of that. Of course, in the bleary-eyed first moments of morning, things are different, but it isn’t long before the financial weight of losing class time sinks in.

Beyond the dollars and cents, doesn’t it make sense to want to be in class? There are 80-something majors on campus, there’s no reason not to enjoy what you are studying. Either the degree you pursue is something you love, or, in the case of professional programs, its something you want to do for the rest of your life. Either way, if going to class feels like a chore, one day off due to snow isn’t going to solve the problem. And while the surprise day off can be rejuvenating, it is often accompanied by make-up work throughout the rest of the week. Its not so much a day off as it is a weather-caused university sanctioned excuse to procrastinate. Professors pack their syllabi ambitiously; missing a day can be difficult to make up.

Of course, when the weather gets bad driving gets dangerous. For much of the Ashland community, though, driving isn’t a factor. Eighty-five percent of students live on campus. From my understanding, at least what my mom always tells me when I complain about a lack of snow days, is that snow days don’t exist in real life. Unless a snow emergency is declared, the rest of the world continues to operate. As much as students clamor to be treated as adults, going to work through the snow is something we will deal with. Expecting a day off for weather is something we could do as high school students, but it shouldn’t be something we do as college students. 

So as the weather continues to chill our bones (Thanks Punxsutawney Phil) remember each class is paid for, each class matters, and any cancelation sets a precedent we will be unable to enjoy later in our lives.

On the other hand, a day off is always nice…