On Monday, Nov. 21, classes at Binghamton University were not canceled despite the effects of Winter Storm Argos, the heaviest snowstorm to hit the Binghamton area on record.

The decision to have classes remain in session was made by the University’s decision team, which assembles whenever the weather creates uncertain circumstances. The team is made up of 12 people who represent the different sectors of the University, including student affairs, academic affairs, Binghamton’s New York State University Police, Transportation and Parking Services (TAPS), risk management and University communications and marketing.

The group scheduled a conference call for 5 a.m. Monday to assess the weather conditions and consider a plan. According to Ryan Yarosh, director of media and public relations, the final decision was made by President Harvey Stenger, but not without a unanimous consensus from those on the call.

Several factors were considered by the team when deciding whether to cancel classes, including the decisions of other universities within an hour’s drive of campus, the operating status of Broome County Transit and the conditions of the roads surrounding the school. The cost of canceling a day of instruction, however, is an overarching factor.

Due to the fixed dates for the end of the semester and commencement, BU does not make up missed days of instruction. Decision team member Provost Donald Nieman said that the decision was not taken lightly due to the value of the day missed, which is measured by how much the University spends in the day.

“Based on the University’s academic expenses a day of instruction costs approximately $2 million,” Nieman said. “The University doesn’t lose these funds. However, students lose out on instruction that has a value of approximately $2 million.”

The decision team based much of its conclusion on the availability of the campus transportation services, including the Off Campus College Transport (OCCT) and TAPS. Brian Favela, executive director of TAPS, said that the operations are dedicated to serving the community and will do so based on the needs of the University in the safest possible way.

“If the University decides to remain open during inclement weather, we will continue to run our operation in the safest way,” Favela wrote in an email. “There may be delays to service or we may cancel some routes that are not needed during these weather events, i.e. runs to Walmart or late night service to Downtown. Essential routes will run as long as the University remains open, i.e. [Innovative Technologies Complex], Campus Shuttle, [University Downtown Center] and Daytime Downtown routes.”

David Husch, director of transportation and a member of the decision team, added that should the team decide that classes need to end early in the future, typically OCCT will continue its runs for two hours after classes have ended.

Yarosh noted that communication between both the team and the community is essential to managing the impact of snowstorms like Argos effectively.

“Communication is key and the main reason why we utilize every tool at our disposal when needed,” Yarosh wrote in an email. “From Facebook to Binghamton.edu our goal is to make sure the latest weather-related information is readily available on each and every appropriate platform used by students, faculty and staff when needed.”

Evan Margolis, a junior majoring in electrical engineering, said that while the Facebook and email announcements are helpful, there are more effective ways in which BU could communicate with students who live Downtown.

“Word travels faster on campus than it does off campus, so people who live Downtown are at a loss,” Margolis said. “There should be another way to communicate during dangerous weather, like a text blast. That way, everyone would know if classes are canceled immediately.”