By Julia Lawrenz | Broadcast Reporter
I love Baylor. I love school. I love class. And I love rain.
However, mixing these things together doesn’t make for a happy student.
I am from San Diego, and I do not have a car. So my only form of transportation is my two feet and my bike. I live off campus this year, and my bike is my best friend; it takes me to and from class every day.
Waco weather is a whole new beast. You never know what to expect — will there be a tornado warning, a flood, or extreme heat? Nobody will ever know for sure.
Sometimes the rain just comes pouring down unexpectedly and soaks anyone who dares to step outside. In extreme cases like this, I believe class should be cancelled. When it rains, usually you have a classroom that is empty because half of the students don’t even come to class because they don’t want to get wet. Then the other half of the class is sitting in wet clothes, soppy shoes and socks that make a loud squishing noise every time they move their feet. Then this poses the risk that students are going to get sick as they are soaking wet while sitting in a cold air-conditioned classroom. Not to mention that they probably aren’t even paying attention to the lecture or the professor, rather worrying if their laptop got wet on their trek to the classroom.
Personally, this is very important for me because, as someone who either walks or bikes everywhere, sitting in a classroom drenched in water is the furthest thing from enjoyable.
Let’s also remember riding a bike in the rain can be a journey of its own. Trying to keep your eyes open while the wind and water are blowing in your fragile and sensitive face is like an Olympic sport. Also, all the roads and sidewalks are slick, just waiting for you to slip, splash and fall right off your bike.
I do understand that not everyone faces the problems of riding a bike. Some people are still brave enough walk to class in the rain. But face it, when you are walking in the rain, your face is down, and you are honestly not really watching where you are going. This just poses another risk for you to walk into something or slip and fall to danger.
I haven’t forgotten about an umbrella, don’t worry. But this Waco rain is unlike any other rain I have ever seen. Rain doesn’t just doesn’t come down. With the wind, it comes from the east, the west and every which way. Let’s also remember that the Baylor campus floods easier than anyone would believe possible.
I am definitely not a meteorologist; however, I can only guess that it is not safe to walk around campus trying to get to your class while there are rainstorms and thunderstorms causing havoc in the sky.
We all know Baylor doesn’t want any lawsuits, so if students are getting hurt trying to get to school in the rain, it just seems right to avoid all potential problems and cancel class.
I obviously understand we just can’t cancel class every time it rains, because then we would never have class in the fall and winter. However, I am saying that when it is downpouring, I think it would best benefit students and professors to cancel class.
