Winter Strikes Another Blow

It's an ill blizzard that blows nobody good. This one, however, is trying.

While 6.7 inches of snow were enough to cause bottlenecks at Logan Airport, a snow emergency for the City of Cambridge and wet shoes and socks for Harvard students, only a few classes were cancelled yesterday due to the weather.

"The University very rarely cancels classes, since it's residential college and they assume that students can get to class," said Associate Registrar Thurston A. Smith.

The University has not cancelled classes since 1978 when the state of Massachusetts forbade all travel by car, Smith noted.

Instructors have it easier. A few classes, including English 10a and several sections, did not meet after professors and TFs decided against braving the weather. Cancelling classes in this weather is left to the instructor's discretion, Smith said.

"If they can't get in, they can cancel," he said.

The weather will probably remain inclement for the immediate future, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Paul head.

"The normal movement is from rain, to sleet, to snow," he said, warning that there would be more snow before the end of the storm midmorning today.

However, he said, "It is definitely not the worst storm we've had in a long time."

Students could care less.

"I'm sick of it and I wish the snow would just to away," said Mark C. Alonge '96, who added that this storm was at least not as bad as the blizzard of 1993.

"I'm from California, and it's really wet and really cold here, so the novelty is wearing off," said Mark M. Tran '97.

Among the activities that will proceed as scheduled is the upcoming Junior Parents' Weekend.

"As far as I know, it won't affect [the weekend]. Most parents are coming in tomorrow morning. I hope that people won't be discouraged from coming because of the weather," said Co-chair Livia M. Santiago-Rosado '95.

Planners do not expect parents to be turned away by the inclement conditions.

"The general estimate for the weekend is that 700 people are expected to attend," said Co-coordinator Suzanne Orofino, "and we don't expect weather conditions to affect that much."

Most of the activities planned are on Saturday, "so hopefully the weather will have cleared up by then and will make for good attendance," according to Michelle N. Armstrong '95, a Cabot House student representative.

Head predicted that the weather pattern would become more "spring-like" within the next ten days.

"This would lead me to believe that we might be changing toward spring and breaking the back of winter, although winter is not over by a long shot," he said.