On Feb. 17, 2003, heavy snowfall hit Ithaca as students trudged through snow in blizzard-like conditions.
“We’re overwhelmingly a residential campus,” said Henrik N. Dullea ’61, vice president for University relations at the time. “Most students can get to their classes without difficulty.”
It was the role of Harold Craft Jr., then vice president for administration, to gather information about weather and road conditions before discussing the situation with other administrators. Craft’s task was then to inform either then President Hunter R. Rawlings III or Provost Biddy Martin about the situation before they made the final decision.
“It is pretty subjective. [For example], there was a lot of snow on Monday but the road crews and plows were keeping up,” Craft said.
The University did not close and classes were not cancelled that day in history.