University students face uncertainty as exams are cancelled due to snow

Universities on B.C.'s Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island postponed and cancelled in-person exams Tuesday as weather conditions made it unsafe for people to travel to campuses, causing concern for some students. 

Simon Fraser University student Christina Gemino had an exam cancelled on Sunday just hours before the test due to weather conditions, and it was rescheduled to Tuesday. 

At 6 a.m. PT Tuesday, she got an alert from the school saying morning exams would be cancelled and that details about afternoon tests would follow. 

As of 12:30 p.m. PT, all in-person exams were cancelled at all three of SFU's campuses on Tuesday, but online exams were scheduled to go ahead as planned. 

Gemino said she waited more than five hours to know what was going on with her exam.

"I'm pretty much putting my life on hold right now," Gemino said before the school finally put out a notice regarding afternoon exams. 

Her classmate, Jash Hans, lives in Richmond and commutes to school for up to two hours a day in normal conditions. She said waiting to find out about her exam Tuesday was stressful, knowing she'd have a longer commute ahead of her if she were told she had to go to campus later in the day. 

"There's a high possibility that I would not have been able to make it."

Her exam was rescheduled for Wednesday — but Hans was supposed to start work training, so she's had to reschedule that.

SFU said in an emailed statement to CBC that if a student cannot attend a rescheduled exam because of travel or work, there are processes in place to make alternative exam arrangements.

"The decision to cancel exams is not taken lightly," the statement reads.  

"Postponing exams today is the best option the university has for several reasons. Students put a lot of time and energy into studying, and to delay an exam to January can cause undue stress and anxiety over the holiday break, in addition to students needing final grades."

At the University of British Columbia, in-person exams scheduled for Dec. 20 have been rescheduled for 2023. An online notice says students will be contacted about their rescheduled exam dates in early January — something Hans said she would have preferred. 

"Right now, I only have about a week and a half left of break," she said. 

In-person exams were also cancelled Tuesday at the University of Victoria, while online exams were expected to happen as scheduled. 

The university's website says that an updated exam schedule will be posted after 2 p.m. PT. 

Other schools, such as Royal Roads University and Camosun College, also cancelled in-person exams Tuesday morning.