Taylor Bembery
Associate Editor
Jackson State University was closed Tuesday, Jan. 28 until noon Jan. 29, due to good ole’ Jack Frost paying a visit to Tiger Country.
The snow and icy wintery mix, which is uncommon for Mississippi, forced Jackson State, other schools, universities and offices from the central to southern parts of the state to close due to the dangers and hazards associated with the weather.
The wintery mix sent temperatures plummeting with dangerous wind chill readings on Monday night into Tuesday. Temperatures and wind chill readings registered in the single digits in many parts of the state.
Early Tuesday morning, students, faculty and staff braced for the winter storm that dropped snow and ice from parts of Texas to the coastal Southeast, coastal Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. Travel problems have been widespread and severe in portions of the South.
Chelsey Brown, a freshman computer science engineering major from Walnut Grove, Miss., said she found out that school was closed through an emergency alert on her phone sent from the JSU Go app.
Even though the university was closed, it didn’t stop students from having fun and officials made sure residential student services were not disrupted.
For example, meals were delivered to students in Tiger Plaza since they could not make it to campus, according to the Dean of Students’ office.
Students used the snow day to catch up with course work, while others relaxed inside the residence halls. Some students even ventured outside to play in the sparse showing of snow outside.
Keleigh Williams, a freshman communicative disorders major from Sierra Vista, Ariz., is not use to seeing snow and felt her first JSU snow day was needed.
“I think people here aren’t use to driving with ice on the road and it is unsafe for people to be driving around. I stayed inside because I am from Arizona and I wasn’t made for the cold,” said Williams.
Williams added: “I read some chapters that I was suppose to read for history, so I actually ended up not just being a bum. I got some things done for class.”
On social media sites like Instagram, some JSU students participated in the infamous Snow Challenge, which is a challenge that requires a person to snow dive with minimal clothing on.
Damien Cooper, a senior biology pre-med major from Jackson, Miss., participated in challenge at home with his friends and posted the videos via his Instagram page.
“The Snow Challenge was fun. It was cool seeing other people doing it. I did participate with a few friends in the Snow Challenge. It’s not the safest thing to do for a long period of time or constantly but it is well worth it to experience the feeling once or twice,” said Cooper.
Students hailing from northern states such as Illinois, Ohio, and Michigan felt the snow day was unwarranted. Some called the snow Jackson received Tuesday “dust” compared to the massive amounts of snow they have experienced in their hometowns.
Anthony Watkins, a senior finance major from Detroit, Mich., posted pictures on his Instagram page comparing the light snow in Jackson to the knee height snow in Detroit.
However, the snow and ice received in Jackson was no joke for the motorists stranded on Mississippi Highways or the many who were involved in accidents on the icy roads. The Mississippi Highway Patrol has reported as many as 350 accidents since Winter Storm Leon hit the state.
Classes at JSU resumed at noon on Wednesday, Jan. 29. If you would like to receive weather advisory alerts on your phone, download the JSU Go app in your market or app store.
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