Students and faculty at Southeast Missouri State University are concerned about what challenges Winter Storm Landon will have on them in the following days. All Southeast campuses closed at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 2, and remained closed for the rest of the week due to winter weather.

Although the campus was closed and there was no class, there are still barriers to learning that students may have due to classes being canceled.

Junior Jade Le said, “Snow days are always exciting, but we still have to make up for it and there are still assignments that are due. Being a hands-on learner, the campus being closed worries me, because I can’t just ask my professors in-person for extra help on an assignment like I usually would.”

University Tutorial Services and other one-on-one learning opportunities, which can have an impact on some students' assignments, have closed with the campus.

As for faculty, the impact of the closure is different from students.

Career Services Career Counseling Coordinator, Jennifer Woolf said, “As a staff member at SEMO, anytime weather causes campus to close, that usually means I will be home caring for my toddler. While it is a refreshing break from work and we have fun, it also makes it hard to accomplish much else. I know for my staff and faculty colleagues, or students who have school-aged children, the challenges are compounded if there are expectations for virtual work or school to take place.”

Woolf also stated that another concern she has during campus closures is making attempts to be flexible with students for career counseling appointments as needed.

“Rescheduling if they don’t feel comfortable coming to campus for meetings or modifying the format to Zoom or phone. Having a bit of patience and flexibility during the inclement weather goes a long way,” Woolf said.

The University sent out an email informing students that campus was closed along with a list of safety procedures for students to follow and resources in case of emergencies.

Some safety procedures were staying up to date with the weather, making sure to protect themselves by staying in doors and dressing in layers. If students must travel, they should dress in warm clothing and check the forecast and road conditions. Resources included to report an emergency were the Department of Public Safety at (573)-651-2215.