....The University of Pittsburgh, on the advice and pleas of the esteemed Student Government Board, cancelled classes today due to a cold day in January...
OT: Let me get this straight...
- Thread starter upj87
- Start date
Listen...the days of walking ten miles in knee deep snow up a hill both ways to school are over.
I wouldn't say it is necessarily a bad thing but schools tend to error on the side of caution anymore. Add our litigious society and it makes perfect sense why schools and colleges that have students outside feel the need to cancel. Schools have become risk aversive and it's been that way for quite some time now.
I wouldn't say it is necessarily a bad thing but schools tend to error on the side of caution anymore. Add our litigious society and it makes perfect sense why schools and colleges that have students outside feel the need to cancel. Schools have become risk aversive and it's been that way for quite some time now.
yes we are now in the days of staying home on 10 degree mornings in January...
not getting in the car on a 60 degree partly cloudy morning is erroring on the side of caution also...
They don't want to be sued when some idiot gets frost bite walking to class this afternoon in -22 degrees wind chill in shorts and a tee shirt.
Basically, yeah.
We never got days off in winter when I was enrolled (2005-2010), even when Snowmageddon hit in early 2010. They left it up to the profs whether to cancel their classes or not. The difference is, I don't remember us having too many days where temps dropped below zero with wind chill going to about -20 like they have today and tomorrow. I walked from Dawson to Benedum to my classes senior year and it took about 20 minutes. That's more than long enough to get frost bite in those conditions without proper attire. Tons of public schools in the area are closed for the same reason. Most people should be smart enough to protect themselves, but I just watched a guy walk into my office without a jacket, so......they're not....
I also think with modern technology the days of holding class under any circumstances is gone. Teachers and professors can still educate through online communication. I was in my grad program at Pitt when 9/11 happened and I seemed to recall classes being canceled for that. I don't see the big deal in cancellation for weather or extenuating circumstances like acts of terror.
Personally, I don't see the big deal with the cancellations. Right now is supposed to be the warmest it will be over the next 2 days. Better safe than sorry and it doesn't affect me either way. This is supposed to be historic cold. And with everyone suing, that is a huge reason why.
Things change. We don't put 7 year old kids down in coal mines all day like they did 100 years ago due to dangers.
When I was a student, classes didn’t get cancelled for cold weather. We just skipped class. That’s the way it should be.
Kids today are graduating from HS with intelligence that rivals that of an 8-10-year-old from 50 years ago and they get more stupid not more intelligent the longer they attend university. Its a real mess.
In fairness though. These kids are away at school and not at home. Its not like they can scrounge around in their closet and find appropriate attire like the rest of us. They are stuck with what they could fit in a couple suitcases when they were moving in.
In fairness though. These kids are away at school and not at home. Its not like they can scrounge around in their closet and find appropriate attire like the rest of us. They are stuck with what they could fit in a couple suitcases when they were moving in.
Could not be more incorrect.
Not if you dress properly!
When our kids were young we'd ski race all day in VT, MA, or NH in 20 below windy condition but we dressed properly.
Thinsulate stuff gloves, hats, headbands, reflective thinsulate socks, and a gator that covers the face over the nose and you'll be sweating in 20 below temps.
If you run around with a t shirt, sweatshirt, no hat, or gloves good luck and you deserve what you get!
Wait until the little spoiled brats have to get up for a job at 5 am, shovel their driveway in 20 below temps, drive to work in icy conditions, and return home to shovel more snow after work when it's even colder.
I see a lot of millennials breaking down crying saying "Life Wasn't Like This in College."
or
Tell their boss they called work off for the day. LOL! Good luck with that one.
Coming in late and calling off due to cold or bad weather ( get up early, drive slow and get to work) were the people who ended up on the top of my Get Rid of List!
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these kids are 18-22 years old. they aren't old enough to dress themselves in the winter?
And we wonder why "kids" are helpless.. we raise them to be... my 7 year old son is smart enough to put on a coat before he goes outside in January.. yet you think a 20 year old "kid" lacks the resources to do so?
God help us all.
Yes. Although I don't think the cold will be as dangerous as what they are getting in the upper midwest it isn't terrible to take precautions like this. I think Thursday and Friday will be the really dangerous days though. High schools across the region are cancelling classes too.
The reason the HS close for below zero cold weather is primarily due to problems with the diesel fueled buses in very cold weather.
One of our kids friends family owns the local school bus company. Most of the buses are diesel powered. Diesel fuel gets real thick in below zero temps unless the diesel tanks are kept warm or if you don't shut down the engine. School bus companies don't spend the money to heat tanks or waste money running the buses all night so school ends up cancelled.
Diesel engines unlike gas engines can run 24/7 without any problems.
Most truckers run their diesel engines 24/7 in really cold weather in the winter to keep the fuel moving.
Mrs Buffett and I had a diesel powered 32 ft sailboat which we had in the water all year. We'd heat the tanks or run it all night to keep the fuel moving or diesel fuel gets like syrup!
What do residential students do on a day like today when they get hungry? Do Pitt's dining halls deliver?
Funny no school at PITT.
To Cold for the little we want everything for nothing little whiners. Yet they cant figure out how to dress for a bit of cold weather and get to class. That's amazing!
Mrs Buffett and are will be ice skating at 1 -3 pm today at an outdoor skating rink with probably 50 other skaters. The Zamboni clears the ice and its a great two hours.
After we skate the Zamboni clears the ice and the kids play hockey from 3:30-6:30pm, the Zamboni clears the ice again and the senior hockey league takes the ice at 7-10pm.
Somehow lots of people show up all winter long regardless of the temps and the rink is never closed and the hockey is played regardless of the temps.
We're there regardless of the temps, we just dress for the weather.
Common sense!
To Cold for the little we want everything for nothing little whiners. Yet they cant figure out how to dress for a bit of cold weather and get to class. That's amazing!
Mrs Buffett and are will be ice skating at 1 -3 pm today at an outdoor skating rink with probably 50 other skaters. The Zamboni clears the ice and its a great two hours.
After we skate the Zamboni clears the ice and the kids play hockey from 3:30-6:30pm, the Zamboni clears the ice again and the senior hockey league takes the ice at 7-10pm.
Somehow lots of people show up all winter long regardless of the temps and the rink is never closed and the hockey is played regardless of the temps.
We're there regardless of the temps, we just dress for the weather.
Common sense!
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Just watched "The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir" on Netflix.
First Marine Division trapped and outnumbered 10-1 in North Korea by Chinese.
Had to fight their way out in minus 30-50 degree temperatures. Fought back like 70 miles on a one lane road with high mountains on either side, getting shot at all the way!
I worked for a guy who was there. Said you literally couldn't urinate because it would freeze. Guys lives were saved because their wounds froze shut and stopped them from bleeding to death. Virtually everyone had frostbite, but they made it out and brought their dead and wounded with them!
Of course they had no choice, but kind of puts things in perspective!
Semper Fi, indeed!
First Marine Division trapped and outnumbered 10-1 in North Korea by Chinese.
Had to fight their way out in minus 30-50 degree temperatures. Fought back like 70 miles on a one lane road with high mountains on either side, getting shot at all the way!
I worked for a guy who was there. Said you literally couldn't urinate because it would freeze. Guys lives were saved because their wounds froze shut and stopped them from bleeding to death. Virtually everyone had frostbite, but they made it out and brought their dead and wounded with them!
Of course they had no choice, but kind of puts things in perspective!
Semper Fi, indeed!
This is a big reason why public schools do it. Kid was never taught or learned to bundle up himself, gets frostbite at bus stop, multiply that by 100 and the district doesn’t want to face and lose those suits. I’m home today because it’s too cold for them and I’m not particularly overjoyed but you’re right. People are dumb but they’re also savvy enough when money is involved.
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pittdan77
Athletic Director
When I was in college, I could barely afford a pair of sneakers. It's not really that simple.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
And I'll add, just because people did stupid stuff "in the old days", doesn't make people today weaker. People used to eat food that wasn't terribly sanitary. Were they better?
I remember the jocks burning down their house and forcing the freshmen to live in the gym. A particularly cunning and geeky group put an end to that though. There were boobs, party shenanigans and carnivals along the way. It was a good time.
I literally just watched that movie last night, f'n classic.
Isn't it one of the coldest days in 20 years? Seems ok to cancel classes.
Will they close school in the spring and summer for thunderstorms?
Billy might get hit by lightening while walking to class.
Billy might get hit by lightening while walking to class.
I thought you said you attended a service academy in which case all that stuff would have been provided.
Keep your stories straight I have a good memory.
I was able to afford a coat, hat and gloves, but had zero money in college.
In fact I had a rope tied around my 1968 Pontiac Firebird with 150k miles to keep the doors closed. I wouldn't have needed the rope but I lost some Frat brothers a few times on high speed turns. They didn't die and were recovered.
One time the police stopped me and I had to crawl out of the car like a NASCAR racer to meet the police officier.
our service academies are not giving students shoes? Dear lord, this is like a scene from "Glory." denzel Washington didn't go AWOL, he just wanted a pair of boots..
I just looked up the Pittsburgh weather and it says 9 degrees F with a 10 mph wind creating a wind chill temp of -2 F which isn't all that cold.
Mrs Buffett and I are leaving the house at 12:30 pm to go ice skating for two hours at an outdoor hockey rink ( actually two rinks) for two hours. Temps here are similar to Pittsburgh.
It is! Some people need to prove to themselves that they're superior by complaining about schools being closed or brag about how they did something when it was cold, some might call it a form of toxic masculinity.
I live in the Detroit area and it's currently -8 with a wind chill of -32, it's not really gusting just a steady breeze so you feel it no matter what. The Post Office suspended mail delivery for the area today and most likely tomorrow, it's that cold. I walked about 100 yards from my car into work this morning and it was bone chilling, thankfully I have remote start for when I leave later today.
pittdan77
Athletic Director
Yeah, see, you'd think it would all be provided but it's only the basics for officer candidates and you pay for it on your own. You should probably understand how the military actually works before you try to call me a liar but your agenda doesn't have time for the facts. It's actually worse for enlisted guys. But I feel for you and all of the suffering you did in your frat house.
Have fun while you're ice skating in your expensive Gortex outfits. Just do me a favor and don't shame the rink attendant who is freezing his back end off because he's layered up in whatever he could scrape together to get through the week.
I personally think it was colder a week and a 1/2 ago here in Pittsburgh than today.. I remember that weather being painful.. maybe it's because their is no real wind today and it was windy then.. Low/no wind really is a blessing..
Yup. It's -30 to -50 with the windchill in Chicago. But screw those kids who are at risk for frostbite waiting for public transportation. I'm gonna talk about how tough it was back in the day from the comfort of my couch!
I actually think it's stupid that ANYBODY goes out in some of these storm events or ice events. Honestly, is it really that important to get across town at 6:00 am to sell an iPad or French fries? So important that people get stranded in snow banks or even die trying to get there in a blizzard?
Weather.com says that it is currently -17 real feel in Pittsburgh, and I bet with some of the wind gusting in Oakland it is even colder. That is pretty cold. That might not seem too bad for a student in Minnesota, but many people in Pittsburgh aren't going to be prepared for -17 degrees walking to and from classes.
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