We will remember Tropical Storm Gaston for the carnage, destruction and death it brought to Richmond. We will remember Gaston for the way it changed so much of our day-to-day lifestyle, whether it be through new travel routes because of roads being washed away, loss of property, or ultimately the loss of life.
What we should not be remembering Gaston for is trudging through the flooded streets of Richmond, trying to get back to our vehicles and make our way home from class. I wish I could forget driving 8 miles in 6 hours. Trust me, I do.
There is much ado about the “unexpectedness” of Gaston’s effects and power, all of which are true, and I support VCU keeping its doors open and hoping the storm would pass through. But how could VCU not take I-95’s closure as a major indicator that action needed to be taken in regard to canceling classes?
In what could be seen as no less than an egregious error, VCU decided to continue to hold classes after I-95 was closed for flooding south of the Belvidere exit. Worse still, for those who had night classes that weren’t canceled until after 6 p.m. For the record, I heard on the radio that night that classes were canceled at 6:30 p.m. I had been listening to the radio for some time, and 6:30 was the first I heard of any closure.
Whose idea was this? VCU has a significant number of commuting students, myself included. What message does this send to commuters? I felt like VCU wasn’t concerned with how I would get back to my home in Hanover County as I sat in the downpour with seemingly everyone else in the area parked next to me on Chamberlayne. I can only imagine it felt worse for those who needed to travel south on I-95.
It really becomes a question of responsibility for the safety of your students and faculty. I expect that university officials are well informed enough to know how many students are commuters (roughly) and I would also assume that they realize that I-95 is the major route for a lot of commuters. Therefore, if VDOT thinks that I-95 is unsafe for commuters, shouldn’t VCU be getting their students and faculty out of the classrooms? Not doing so just seems irresponsible to me
It isn’t as if this is a one-time occurrence either. VCU’s responsibility to its students’ well-being on the subject of closures has been called into question, most recently after Hurricane Isabel in 2003. The closings after Isabel’s destruction last year left a similar bitter taste in my mouth, as VCU proudly opened its doors to students while many students were still without power.
To whose benefit was this decision? Was it to the students who had power? The students who didn’t? Who was the benefactor? Somebody had to benefit from it – and it certainly didn’t seem as if the students or faculty were benefiting during Isabel or Gaston.
I guess I just don’t understand how the education business works. Usually, every business works to please its customers. As a customer of VCU, I have never felt that my business was so disregarded than I did driving home from class Monday, Sept. 30, 2004, and trust me: I had a lot of time to think about it.
So VCU, next time you have the opportunity to put the students and faculty first, please do not let the opportunity pass you by – because I can guarantee that I am not the only one who feels this way.