The perfect storm

It has been 30 years since the blizzard of ’78 paralyzed the IU campus for three days. During that time, all public schools were closed, all but one highway was closed, airports left travelers stranded, babies were being delivered on snowmobiles, a curfew was set in place and looters would risk being shot, according to Indianapolis Star headlines from the time.\nJanuary 25-27, 1978 saw a record snow in Indiana of 15.5 inches of snowfall and maximum snow amounts reaching 20 inches, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Web site. IU was shut down for three days and class was cancelled that Thursday and Friday.\n“Most students settled in for two days of card playing, TV watching and drinking,” an article in the ’77-’78 Arbutus yearbook said. “Some even risked ‘life and limb’ to get to a liquor store rather than face the prospect of a dry weekend.”\nThe National Oceanic and Atmospherics Administration compared the ’78 blizzard to “The Perfect Storm,” in which two low pressure systems merged together to form an enormously sized storm.\nA 1978 IU staff bulletin stated that the chancellor, dean or vice president could close campus if they thought the weather would jeopardize lives. Robert O’Neil, vice president in 1978, said in an excerpt from the ’77-’78 yearbook that he would rather not cancel classes.\n“Unexpected cancellations like this are extremely disruptive to the campus calendar, and it is my feeling that we should have classes if at all possible,” he said. “On the other hand, it’s ridiculous to hold classes and jeopardize people’s lives.”\nIn response to what it would take for IU to close down, Dean of Students Dick McKaig said the University will close if officials feel conditions are severe.\n“Generally speaking, the University will receive a statement from local law enforcement who issues a warning that streets are not safe,” he said. He added an example would be a temperature below -30 degrees. This was the case Jan. 18-19, 1994 when IU shut down due to -34 degree temperatures.\nChancellor Ken Gros Louis described the difficulty in getting a residential campus to close down. Because students typically walk to class from places on or near campus, road conditions don’t affect them.\n“Whereas it is not rare for a non-residential campus to close down due to bad road or highway conditions,” he said. “Typically, in the most serious state of emergency, no vehicles can be on the street and people can be arrested if they go out.”