Old news, but in August 2011 my DS was a freshman at W&M when Hurricane Irene struck. W&M closed all the dorms and cancelled all classes. He was a OOS student and had only been there for a week, so he didn’t have a network of friends. A few weeks later, Virginia had the earthquake that damaged the Washington Monument. Keep an eye on the website and tell your child to read his emails.

OMG your precious children will survive.

Anonymous wrote:If we get a lot of snow and universities are closed, how does this affect dining halls, etc. What if they can't open the dining halls? Most kids living on campus don't have cars, etc. How can kids in dorms prepare for this...or will they get sidewalks and roads cleared and dining halls open quickly? Anyone with some experiences with something like this?

I think the kids have to roam the countryside looking for nuts & berries. If they are lucky, they will stumble upon a Brontosaurus carcass.

We should be more concerned with the minimum wage workers who will either have to trek into campus or stay in a temporary accommodation do the paths are shoveled and the dining hall is open.

The kids will be fine.

Anonymous wrote:I am debating whether my college kid should just return home on Saturday. He's not far away, and as soon as classes start up again, he could easily go back.

What do you think?

I would not encourage my kid to come home unless the school encouraged them to leave like UGA is doing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m worried about this too. My kiddo is at JMU. What if they are stuck in the dorm with nothing to do? Should I try to last-minute Amazon down some games or something ?

Please tell me this is satire.

Has to be, right? I did a target run for crafts and games to keep my kindergartner occupied when I have to hop on a work call, but I’d trust anyone much older than him to be able to sort themselves.

Anonymous wrote:I went to college just outside of Boston and don't remember anything about the dining halls during storms...because there was nothing of note to remember.

We had a blast.

OP, where are you from? Did you go to college? Where are these concerns coming from?

A bunch of guys decided to have a giant football game on the library lawn and one guy broke his leg. But that was stupidity, not the storm.

The students will be fine.

I am debating whether my college kid should just return home on Saturday. He's not far away, and as soon as classes start up again, he could easily go back.

What do you think?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m worried about this too. My kiddo is at JMU. What if they are stuck in the dorm with nothing to do? Should I try to last-minute Amazon down some games or something ?

They will do each other. Amazon down some protection

Instacart that! And pay the extra for faster delivery. Time is of the essence. LOL.

I went to college just outside of Boston and don't remember anything about the dining halls during storms...because there was nothing of note to remember.

We had a blast.

OP, where are you from? Did you go to college? Where are these concerns coming from?

Anonymous wrote:If we get a lot of snow and universities are closed, how does this affect dining halls, etc. What if they can't open the dining halls? Most kids living on campus don't have cars, etc. How can kids in dorms prepare for this...or will they get sidewalks and roads cleared and dining halls open quickly? Anyone with some experiences with something like this?

Have you heard of beef/meat jerky? Ramen noodles? Mac and cheese in a cup? Stock up

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We had a massive storm when I was a student at Duke (which doesn’t do stone well). It was fine. They opened enough dining facilities so no one was starving and we stocked up on ramen and microwave popcorn.

I have great memories of one when I was at UNC - maybe the same one! The dining halls, student union, and libraries were open. I lived in an off-campus house that lost power, but we figured it out and managed to survive (and have some fun).

We've the trifecta here. I was at NCSU and then Chancellor Poulton bragged that State never closed until his secretary broke her arm slipping on the sidewalk getting to her job. We closed after that.

Seriously, y'all. The kids will be fine. Even if the cafeterias have limited food, private enterprise will figure out a way to make a buck. Pizza delivery for the win!

Was this the ice storm of December 2002? I was in Chapel Hill at the time (grad school) and that was wild!

Not quite, although that one was a doozy! https://www.cbs17.com/weather/weather-stories/this-week-marks-23-years-since-biggest-ice-storm-in-raleigh-history/

It was the mid/late 80s: https://www.webberweather.com/uploads/1/1/9/9/119943685/february_16-17_1987_nc_snowmap.gif
It was a crazy Jan/Feb and I was freakin' out over finishing up my last semester. Good thing I could walk to campus from my apt across Hillsborough St!

I was in college when a massive snowstorm hit in an area that's used to a small percentage of the total. Dining halls were open, many classes were cancelled because professors couldn't get to campus, and we had a three-day party. Very fond memories of that period. It'll be OK.

I assume most of this was trolling? I really hope so.

Anonymous wrote:If we get a lot of snow and universities are closed, how does this affect dining halls, etc. What if they can't open the dining halls? Most kids living on campus don't have cars, etc. How can kids in dorms prepare for this...or will they get sidewalks and roads cleared and dining halls open quickly? Anyone with some experiences with something like this?

Are you in the Parents Facebook group at your kid's College?

I would check there for the specifics... some schools might prepared better or worse for snow.

I know in New York and similar states kids attend classes and simply walk in the snow.