Classes are canceled and Washburn’s campus is closed again, Friday Feb. 22. Around 8 p.m. tonight an iAlert text and university email was sent out announcing the closing. 

THhis will be the second day in a row that Washburn has closed campus because of Winter Storm Q, which has been dubbed a “Snowmaggedon”. 

Around 2:30 p.m. Wednesday February 20, flurries began, and early Thursday accumulation bagan around 7 a.m. and continued on and off all day and into the night. 

“Because we know what we have coming in, we decided the campus will be closed,” said Rick Anderson, vice president admin and treasurer in the VPAT office. “Right now we know it’s a major snow event and it’s coming.”

Meteorologists are predicting up to 15 inches of snow in some areas of Central and Northeast Kansas, starting Wednesday afternoon and continuing into Thursday.  Blizzard conditions have already been reported in western parts of the state.  Wichita has reported three inches of snow and other places have five to six inches.

The Thursday night Washburn basketball game, however, was not canceled. The Bods played the University at Kearney.

Campus preparations were already being made on Wednesday, with buckets and bags of ice melt staged at building entrances.

Thomas Hoffer, a junior criminal justice major wasn’t aware of the pending forecast. He said he doesn’t like to be out in snow unless he’s skiing. But if Q brings the area snow, he said he’d be ok.

“I’ve got food for several days. I’ve got plenty of blankets.” said Hoffer.

Some Washburn students are skeptical about the forecast.

“I’ll believe it when I see it. After all this is Kansas. Some of my friends are planning to go out to Wal-Mart and watch everyone freak out,” said Michelle Boltz, junior mass media major.

But not everyone is taking the storm lightly. Secretaries Patti Mathews and Cathy Bluthardt in the school of business said they’re making plans to be ready.

“My husband and I are going to the store to get a few items,” said Mathews. “And we’ll put the plow on the front of the tractor. We live out in the country.”

Bluthardt said she and her husband also planned to prepare their barn Wednesday night.

“We will make sure we get plenty of horse grain and hay,” said Bluthardt. “We’ll get our tractor ready too.”