Friday, March 2, we all were checking our email every 15 minutes and checking our campus voicemail for the first time in years.

We prayed to any deity hoping our classes would be cancelled.

Our prayers went unanswered.

Why weren’t classes cancelled?

It’s not we the students are lazy; in fact it’s quite the opposite.

Why should we walk through sidewalks that weren’t even plowed yet?

As of 8 p.m. Friday, I counted two sidewalks not even touched.

Is that fair to us, the students?

Students carry enough books for their three straight classes, laptops to do homework during breaks and clothes to work out in after classes. We are carrying bags too heavy to even try to walk across the uncharted sidewalks.

Where’s the love, administration?

I know you were praying to the same gods as we were, hoping to not have classes.

Along with the uncharted ways, walking across campus with the horrendous wind seems crazy. Some of us walk from the corners of campus, not just Barker and Kresge Halls. I mean, no offense to residences of Barker and Kresge, but I ask anyone to try to brave the elements from the theme house on the corner of Iowa Avenue. There isn’t a wind break after the Greek houses.

Speaking of the Greek houses, try walking from the unplowed streets and sidewalks at 8 a.m.

Can you imagine walking in the morning from off campus?

No matter where you attempted to walk from on Friday, as soon as you walked your first step you immediately became pissed at the world.

Even if we trudged to class, some professors didn’t make it.

Many of us went to our classrooms just to find rectangular piece of paper saying no class due to weather.

Major highways were closed; travel wasn’t advised for any of the roads coming into or going out of Indianola.

Drake University was closed.

Grandview College was closed.

Des Moines schools were closed.

Indianola schools were closed.

My hometown was closed, and it’s not any bigger than campus.

I’m not just complaining; I want an explanation and changes.

We have a crisis plan for any awful disaster, why not a plan for winter weather?

If there was a place on the newly constructed Web site letting everyone know which professors were here and who couldn’t make it, unnecessary walks wouldn’t have to be made. Not only will this help the student, but this could give faculty one less trip, or prevent them from coming to campus.

If Simpson prides itself on being a walking campus, then we need to able to walk without problems. Sidewalks should be cleared by 7 a.m. so Pfeiffer Dining Hall can be made available to the few who eat breakfast there.

Even though snow is mostly outside, it creeps in and stays at the doors, making those surfaces a great place to slip. We all know falling on your ass in front of others makes for great entertainment.

Some of the problem isn’t weather reaction, it’s weather prevention. There were ice covered sidewalks before the storm. If the ice was taken care of before the big storm, I’m willing to bet the ratio of slip to non-slip would decrease.

It’s also important to compare ourselves with other colleges, to see what they do during winter weather. If their winter weather plan exceeds ours, then maybe we need to steal some of their ideas. Once again, this isn’t about lazy students-it’s about fixing a problem that should have been fixed quite a while ago. This issue on our plate can’t slide off when the snow melts away.

I’m willing to help in any way I can, so the ball is in your court, administration.