DeKALB | In a matter of days, the campus has come to resemble a tundra, and students and faculty have been forced to deal with the sub-zero temperatures.

Many students – and in some cases, professors – skipped out on attending or teaching classes due to the harsh conditions hitting the Midwest since last weekend.

Physics professor Suzanne Willis found her Monday class attendance a little thin but thought that by today, attendance would pick up again.

“I usually have good attendance in the classes that I teach,” Willis said. “But on Monday morning, I sent an e-mail to all my students, telling them that they had the choice to come to class, because I didn’t want them to suffer in the cold. I asked that they would at least e-mail me their homework that was due, otherwise bring it in for Wednesday.”

Freshman accounting major Lauren Kline and freshman undecided student Jenni Hoffman were frustrated with the hassles of the cold weather.

“I just want my car to start,” Kline said.

At one of her Monday classes, 100 out of 300 students came to class, Kline said.

Hoffman found all of her Monday classes were cancelled.

“It’s been really cold out, and it should be getting warmer, but it’s only getting colder,” Hoffman said.

The weather report:

NIU staff meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste said by Tuesday afternoon, there was an unofficial total of four inches of snow. He predicted the DeKalb area would have five inches of snow before the storm ended.

“For the temperature, by Thursday and into the weekend, it will get into the teens,” Sebenste said. “It will be below zero at night, though, due to the snow that’s fallen.”

From the computer models Sebenste has seen, until about Feb. 21, temperatures will drop below normal temperatures.

Chris Young, University Police lieutenant and interim police chief, said Tuesday was a quiet and easy day despite the snow.

“There were 23 jump-starts yesterday, with eight today,” Young said.

“Also, there was a minor car accident that occurred on top of the parking garage. Someone had backed into another car up there.”

NIU grounds was unavailable for comment due to preoccupation with campus snow removal.