With wind gusts up to 8 mph and visibility at 1.2 miles, Oswego State made the decision to keep the campus open. When commuters began arriving on campus at about 7:39 a.m., visibility was less than a quarter of a mile, staying at that level until almost 10 a.m. with wind gusts at about 21 mph.

Vice President for Administrative Affairs and Finance Nicholas Lyons was the point person for making the decision to keep classes open.

"We made the decision around 6:30 a.m. this [Thursday] morning," Lyons said. "We conferred with local meteorologists. The campus was in reasonably good condition."

The determination for canceling classes is based off the weather conditions on campus because most of the people the campus serves live on campus, Lyons said.

According to the Oswego State website, "Under the state’s regulations, only the governor has the authority to close a state agency such as SUNY Oswego."

Oswego Mayor Randy Bateman issued a "Winter Parking Advisory," which restricted "unnecessary travel" on city roads so that they could be plowed.

Oswego City Police Chief Michael Dehm said that the advisory was put into effect because "the snow was coming down hard and roads were terrible."

Dehm also said the conditions were so bad that plow drivers had problems keeping up with the roads.

"I appreciate all the students who live off campus for helping us out," Dehm said. "We can’t control what the campus does, they have to do what they see fit."

The Centro Bus service was also suspended for approximately two hours due to visibility, said Kathy Kintz, manager of the Oswego branch of Centro.

"If you can’t see to drive or operate a bus it’s probably not a good idea," Kintz said.