UW-Green Bay does not use the same standard as the public schools for deciding whether to cancel classes. There are significant differences in our circumstances. First, we have a substantial population of resident students. Second, all of our students are adults who can make their own judgment about road conditions. Unlike the public schools, we do not schedule additional instruction days in anticipation of winter storm closings.
Many faculty fully schedule their course syllabi, leaving little time to complete missed work.
On any given day some faculty members will have assignments due or exams scheduled. Canceling classes for the whole campus would have a high probability of creating complications for many instructors. Faculty establish expectations for learning at the beginning of the semester when they establish a syllabus. If that syllabus includes scheduled class meetings, then students have a right to expect that those meetings will take place. This is not to say that faculty cannot arrange for alternative forms of learning.