In response to hazardous conditions brought by sleet and freezing rain, the University closed all campuses for multiple days and encouraged professors to initiate virtual instruction for at least Wednesday, Feb. 1.

On the main Murray campus, all dining locations besides Winslow Dining Hall and Fast Track have closed because of the weather. Winslow is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., while Fast Track is open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Curris Center, Waterfield Library and the Wellness Center are also closed until Thursday at 9:30 a.m.

Some students took the winter storm in stride.

Senior design engineering technology major Aaliyah Harrell, who lives on campus, said she has experience walking on ice.

“I [live] in Kentucky, so it’s not really a huge difference because people don’t salt everything properly to me,” Harrell said. “You kind of have to wait until about around noon to be able to actually fully walk out of your building…so it has been a little bit difficult, and you have to go very slow no matter where you go.”

Junior social work major Brooklyn Shoemaker said the short distance between her residential college and Winslow is not too demanding of a walk.

“There’s a lot of ice, so I decided to walk on the grass area and walk very slowly because I’ve seen a lot of other people fall,” Shoemaker said. “I’ve learned from their mistakes to not fall.”

Despite the University’s call for virtual meetings, Harrell said all of her Wednesday classes were canceled.

“Two of my classes, I need to be in the IT building in a lab to be able to do them,” Harrell said. “I could do them from my laptop, but I do not have a mouse that’s compatible with my laptop yet. I was actually going to go this week and get that.”

Harrell explained her lack of access to a mouse has significantly impacted her ability to complete coursework.

“I have the software, but it’s very difficult to use it without having a mouse and just doing it with, like, a touchpad,” Harrell said. 

Freshman business major Asadbek Bozorov said he had Spanish and business classes via Zoom Wednesday.

“We had good class, not different from the offline class,” Bozorov said. “It’s kind of the same.”

Because of in-person class cancellations, Shoemaker said the schedule in her lab course has shifted.

“We have makeup days for our labs that we’ll now have to do labs in,” Shoemaker said. “I was hoping we wouldn’t, and there’s been extra homework, just a little bit, because we’re at home, so the teachers think we have nothing to do and just give us more homework.”

Shoemaker said she is staying in her residential college more often than normal.

“You don’t want to wake up super early and then worry about putting on so many layers and then…just coming right back,” Shoemaker said.

Aside from classes, Harrell said the winter weather has interfered with her ability to watch one of her favorite bands perform.

“I am probably going to miss a virtual live screening of a [BTS] concert tonight, and I am very sad about it,” Harrell said.

Similarly, Bozorov said the closing of the Wellness Center has affected his exercise routine and social interactions.

“I always go to the gym that’s near to my college, and I have found so many friends [that way],” Bozorov said.

Campus will remain closed until 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, when classes will resume in person, and all dining facilities will reopen at normal hours.