‘Snow’ Big Deal: Students Disappointed by Underwhelming Snowstorm

Despite forecasts predicting up to 12 inches of snow through Tuesday, Harvard students shared a sense of disappointment after waking up to a snowless campus.

A Monday email from the University’s Office of the Executive Vice President warned students of up to two inches of snowfall per hour in Greater Boston beginning at 5 a.m. Tuesday. The email also stated that schedules around the University were subject to change “depending on local conditions.”

A subsequent email from Faculty of the Arts and Sciences Dean for Administration and Finance Scott Jordan to faculty and students said the FAS expected to remain open through the storm, “with all campus operations held as scheduled.”

Cambridge and Boston Public Schools, as well as other Boston area universities including MIT and Boston University, announced closures for Tuesday.

Boston received just 0.1 inches of snow on Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Emmanuel T. Edwards ’27 said he and his friends were planning a touch football game in the snow outside of Weld Hall.

“It would’ve been a really good time. And then there was no snow, so now I just have to sit in Cabot, sad,” Edwards said.

Michelle Doan ’25, who had a class moved to Zoom, said she would have gone sledding down Widener steps if there had been more snow.

“Basically you just find a piece of cardboard, and you make it a sled and you sled down the steps,” Doan said. “It’s one of my core winter memories.”

Ava E. Stone ’26 said not knowing whether classes would be canceled or moved online was “unfair,” and that whether classes would be held in-person should have been a universal administrative decision.

“How are you going to afford some people the privilege of staying home?” she said. “If you’re gonna have a snow day, make sure it’s accessible to everybody.”

Ryan O. Green ’27 said he was initially disappointed by the lack of cancellation.

“I was a little bit frustrated with Harvard and their lack of sympathy for their student body,” Green said, referencing other colleges in Greater Boston that suspended classes on Tuesday. “But, it turns out, they were probably completely right.”

“I was really disappointed that we didn’t have any snow, and I think this is an indication of bad things to come, globally,” he added.

Miles K. Reeves ’27 said he was disappointed in the lack of snowfall, adding that he had seen pictures of Cambridge covered in snow.

“Maybe next time,” Reeves said. “I feel like the campus would look really pretty with a lot of snow on it, and we just didn’t get to see it.”

—Staff writer Natalie K Bandura can be reached at natalie.bandura@thecrimson.com.

—Staff writer Azusa M. Lippit can be reached at azusa.lippit@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @azusalippit or on Threads @azusalippit.