Two UW students are taking issues relating to this season’s inclement weather and the UW’s no-closure policy to the ASUW Senate this with the hope of instituting change.

UW sophomore Tyson Johnston and junior Chris Paredes are sponsors of the Bill in Support of Revised Policies to Promote Safety, which, if passes, would require the UW to close if a supermajority (67 percent) of colleges and universities in the area close.

The bill states “… during the most recent snow storm (Jan. 11) schools (public and private, primary through collegiate) have closed from Snohomish to Tacoma, to Issaquah to Kitsap … during both snowstorms UW Tacoma and Bothell cancelled classes or started late, but the Seattle campus did not start late … the Seattle campus did not cancel classes for the entire day during either of the snowstorms or the windstorm.”

According to the bill, the UW is a state institution and should be working to protect both the citizens of the state as well as the students from outside the state who have put their trust in the judgment of the university.

“It is imperative that the University Administration reevaluates their policies on canceling school,” said Johnston, ASUW director of diversity efforts.

“The weather is ever-changing and I believe that it is not conducive or safe to enforce a policy that is obviously inadequate and does not have student’s best interest in mind.”

According to a 2004 U-PASS Telephone Survey, 28 percent of student commuters travel more than 11 miles to school and fewer than 50 percent of staff commute 10 miles or less to campus.

In addition, the UW residence halls host approximately 5,500 students in a school population of 40,000. This poses difficulties for commuters and off-campus residents alike.

“Because of the weather, I had friends who couldn’t get on campus while I was stuck at school,” Paredes said.

“Some people live across the bridge and some people can’t even get out of their driveway. It is a concern and not a place they want to be. I decided it would be great to create a dialogue to see if I could make the situation better.”

The pair hopes to encourage support for the bill from the university community.

“As far as awareness goes, I am actively seeking support from other student living groups,” Johnston said.

“I am fairly certain that the Student Senate will take a stance on this issue since the weather has affected everyone in one way or another. It doesn’t matter what community you come from.”

Paredes and Johnston plan to present the bill to the ASUW Senate this week, where students will talk about the issue and provide testimony, and amend the bill if necessary. They are expected to send the bill to Weldon E. Ihrig, the executive vice president of the UW, in the hopes of alleviating the situation.

Johnston said he hopes the ASUW as a whole will work actively to bring the issue to the administration to effectuate a University-wide policy update.

“We hope the University administration will reevaluate their snow day policies,” Johnston said. “The University must take into account the dangers of travel in these crazy spells of weather that will inevitably pop up again. The safety and well-being of students must come first. It is an unnecessary strain to put on commuter students who will not have access to campus anyway, regardless if we have class or not. I hope that the university administration will share the same logic and follow suit.”

Reach reporter Vicky Yan at news@thedaily.washington.edu.