Early Wednesday morning a university consultation enacted a campus-wide closure due to adverse weather conditions.

Despite Wednesday’s closure, class cancellation due to weather is a rare occurrence, said Steve Cunningham, associate vice president for administration and human resources.

“It’s a complex and unusual development for the university,” Cunningham said. “A closure or course cancellation at Northern is a much different situation than contemplating a closure for a school district or community college because of the size of the campus and the resident student population.”

Factors such as local and regional weather, road conditions, snow recovery, wind chills and the state of the Huskie Bus Service are considered when the university considers a possible closure, Cunningham said. Other factors such as the large amount of commuter students and employees are also taken into account.

While Wednesday’s weather may not have seemed as terrible as past storms, Cunningham said the campus was closed because of the definitive projected forecast the university received for that day.

“The tricky thing about weather in terms of response was that [Wednesday] we had enough information that we could take advanced action,” Cunningham said. “Emergency closures are something rare and serious.”

The university is reluctant to close due to possible academic and financial repercussions, Cunningham said.

“When courses are cancelled, there are significant implications in the academic work of students,” he said. “A full closure definitely has financial implications on the university as well.”

Considering the rarity of a campus closure due to weather, Cunningham urges employees and students to make their own decisions on road conditions and safe driving to campus.

“We encourage our employees, faculty and students to use their own judgment,” he said. “Don’t rely on the university when making travel decisions.”