TL20050228_001 "Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Monday, 2/28/05 Downtown trip revives bus issue ^r HI 5 Judges fire first Associate hopeful 5 Musicians prepare for eclectic show Author promotes body image health Departments Opinion 2 News 5 Campus Calendar. 6 Paw Prints 6 Arts 11 Sports 16 In This Corner. 16 Face-Off. 15 Classifieds 13 Winter storm blankets campus Event planners look to reschedule after snow surge; closing policy follows USM protocol Mike Fila The TowerUght Saturday morning University Spokesperson Susanna Craine found a Charlie Brown comic strip taped to her office door. The Peanuts kids are standing around, staring at a lone snowflake meandering toward the ground, while Charlie Brown exclaims, """"Close all the schools, close all the schools!"""" Had Charles Schulz illustrated this comic strip after Thursday, the mentality of Towson students, faculty and staff could have easily been his muse. Thursday's snowfall, averaging four inches across Baltimore County, led the University to close at 3:30 p.m. - hours after many school systems and local colleges. The voicemail at the University president's office """"received an onslaught of angry phone calls"""" about the timing of the closing, Craine said, but """"it's so much different than most people imagine."""" Students expecting a grand design behind the decision making process of closing schools, a mysterious formula, a rubric that only the administration has access to, a fabled criteria, will be sorely disappointed. """"We judge how campus is,"""" Craine said, """"And ask ourselves 'Are we in a place that accommodates us doing business?'"""" It's that simple. University representatives say certain schools closed earlier than TU because they were threatened by the storm in a way that Towson was not. """"Other schools, like College Park, closed early because the storm was south of us, so it affected them differently than it did us,"""" Deb Moriarty, vice president for student affairs, said. Round two may result in another snow day. The National Weather Service has issued a Heavy Snow Warning for Monday. See WEATHER, page 7 Ehrlich monkeys around at TU game Lisa Johnson/The Towerlight Above: Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich holds Mikey the chimpanzee during Saturday's men's basketball game at the Towson Center. Mikey appeared as part of Student Appreciation Day, which also included drawings and giveaways of gift certificates to area businesses. The game pulled in a record-high attendance of 3,106 fans. Right: Members of Phi Mu cheer on the Tigers, who lost to William & Mary 57-50. For game coverage, see story on Page 16. Today High 34 Low 26 Tuesday High 38 Low 22 Wednesday High 29 Low 19 Thursday High 32 Low 20 Friday High 35 Low 26"
