The Griffin: volume 64, issue 12 - Jan. 28, 1994

              At the moment, Connell views the lost time as not very detrimental to the academic needs of the school. By falling during the thing to do given the conditions and the time of year." had been in town to make the decision, she probably would have opted to cancel classes. Connell continued, "Whenever you make the decision to close or not close, you irritate half the people no matter which decision you make.. .You call it and hope that it was the right thing to do.. .It seemed to be the smart He then called Canisius and the Sheriff s Department to discover the condition of the parking lots and roads. Although he discovered that both were in good condition, he had to balance that with other advice from the weather bureau. In those temperatures, "you' re outside for three minutes, and you' re going to get frostbite; it takes about three minutes to get from Old Main to Koessler." Puma also had to take into consideration the employees and commuters who would have had to walk from the lots at 8:30 a.m.. Puma said his decision was based on information he received from the weather bureau on Wednesday morning: "the wind chill was -50 degrees, and it did not look like it would turn around." The closing of Canisius for two days last week due to Buffalo's cold spell warmed the hearts of many students and employees given an extra bit of vacation. Any decision to close the school for inclement weather is made by Samuel G. Puma, Jr., director of Public Safety and Dr. Joan Connell, vice president for Academic Affairs in conjunction with relevant outside authorities. College closes two days due to extreme cold Canisius students and faculty not left out in the cold again Connell considered the closing of other area institutions in the decision to close Canisius. According to Connell, she took into account the problems created for faculty and staff with children whose schools were canceled. The decision to close school Thursday was made Wednesday evening. Consulting the weather bureau again, Puma learned that the wind chill would remain in the negative forties until Thursday afternoon. He called Connell, and the two "just did the same thing." Connell admitted that Thursday' s weather was not as severe as Wednesday's, but the wind chill still necessitated closing. The closing surprised several people who agree with Puma's assertion that weather cancellation at Canisius is "very rare." Regarding the last time the school was closed, he said it has been "maybe two years - that's just a guess." Adding to the non-closing image of Canisius was the blizzard of last March, during which Canisius remained open while other area schools closed. Connell referred to the negative reaction to that decision and conceded that it "was probably not a good decision to not close" and stated that if she by Heather R. Williams Griffin News Editor Architectural firm plans long term effort to improve campus by Charity Vogel Griffin News Editor Renovations and new construction are in the cards for the Canisius campus as a lengthy report by the architectural firm of Hamilton, Houston, and Lownie is completed and submitted to the College's steering committee. The report will be presented to the Board of Trustees on Feb. 7, according to Dr. Thomas E. Miller, vice president for Student Affairs. This early version of the final report is based on extensive analysis of the College's buildings and grounds, IMWEX News..— 1 - 5,12 Editorial 6 Letters 6 Cartoon 6 Viewpoints 7,11 Kaleidoscope..... 8-10 Sports 13 -16 Classifieds 3 Hamilton said that every area of campus is being considered, though nothing concrete has been determined. Any changes are "all in the future" according to the firm. Miller agreed, saying "the idea of new construction is on the table... the College has certain space needs that are not being satisfied." He incuding an in-depth look at traffic, vegetation, signage, lighting and the visual pluses and minuses of the campus. The plan will provide Canisius' administrators with an outline of the architects' ideas for the College. Hamilton, Houston, and Lownie lead a three-firm team in planning for Canisius' new outlook. Michael Hamilton, senior partner of the group, said this week that the firm has completed data gathering, talking to department heads, and assessing space uses. Currently the firm is exploring ideas for additions and changes to the campus. Hamilton added that "there may well be some new construction" proposed, and that they are "looking at the Student Center, Palisano Pavilion, Bosch, and Frisch" as well as other sites. In addition, Canisius has space resources waiting to be utilized, according to Miller. St. Vincent's Church, Mount St. Joseph Academy, and Palisano Pavilion are prime sites for development. Plans might also provide for new parking areas. Miller, using a daily parking analysis done by Public Safety, sees a need for additional spaces and mentioned the possibility of another ramp. Speaking of the frequent parking crunch, he said, "if we build a parking ramp, we obviously could solve that." The final report is due in May and will be reviewed in its completion by the steering committee and the Board of Trustees at that time. Miller states that construction and renovation may begin at any time following this review. cited the older classrooms of Old Main, the distance between the Financial Aid and Bursar's offices, and the uninspired use of the Student Center as examples of areas for improvement. Future construction ventures might include an athletic arena "for big events or... commencements," a theater or auditorium, and additional "quality" housing.Griffs seajp the Bonnie's Sk the Griffin Serving the Canisius Community Since 1933 Demsvke: in the saddle x (see page 12) I The'black hat of God (see page 8) (see page 16) See Closing page 5 VOLUME LXIV, NUMBER 12 FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 1994 Students leave campus Tuesday as the weather turns frigid. b eric Jordan (Jriffs win: Amen! Paul Dugan, S,J. provWes moral support to the Grtfftas. See related stories pages 8 and 16. h auc