Northern Illinois University is slowly reopening after a week of extremely low temperatures.
NIU closed its main campus several times this week. Classes were also cancelled Thursday due to breakdowns on the Huskie Bus Line. Campus spokesman Joseph King says the closings were broadcast well in advance so students and faculty wouldn't be caught off guard.
"It does us no good to let people know at 5:30 in the morning that we're cancelling classes," he said. "If you're commuting from Chicago, and you miss it before you leave the house, you're going to get all the way to DeKalb, and you're going to be very angry."
Students closer to campus had mixed reactions. Some say the cold kept them indoors and pushed them to catch up on classwork. Graudate student and university employee Pranav Pugaonkar had a different opinion.
"On a weekly schedule, I think we have like two or three classes that are getting cancelled, also cause of which our work on campus is getting affected because we are not able to work on campus," he said. "It reduces our daily hours and also affects our earning potential."
Both students and staff praised NIU's grounds crew for their efforts in keeping campus roads free of snow. But King says they still have a lot of work to do.