As a native upstate New Yorker, I am no stranger to snow. However, Nashville does not have the infrastructure to support this amount of snow, meaning that many roads are unplowed and unsalted. This makes it extremely dangerous for those of us who do not live within walking distance of campus, to drive in tomorrow. I understand that many of the undergraduates live on campus. However, Vanderbilt's graduate student body is almost as large as its undergraduate, and many of us do not live nearby.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), weather-related vehicle accidents account for nearly 22% of all vehicle crashes in the U.S., and most happen on wet pavement or during rainfall (70%) and during winter conditions (18%). With these statistics in mind, we must prioritize student safety. We urge the school administration to cancel class tomorrow due to extreme weather conditions. Please sign this petition if you agree that safety should come first.