Mississippi College Closes Through Tuesday Due to Winter Weather

Mississippi College leaders urge the university family to stay safe and remain home during severe winter weather early this week.

The advice comes on Monday from the MC Office of Public Safety Director Mike Warren. Media reports are non-stop about sub-freezing temperatures, icy roads, sleet, numerous accidents, and other dangerous conditions impacting Central Mississippi. There have been some power outages as well.

“The weather event does pose extra risks due to extreme cold and ice at record levels,” Warren says. “We do not recommend any recreational activities out in the elements that people are not completely prepared for.”

For those leaving their homes (or residence halls), Warren encourages them to walk in pairs or groups. That way, if someone does fall on ice, there will be help nearby.

The Office of Public Safety is stepping up its services to the MC family during the arctic-like weather crisis in mid-February. “We are staffing as many persons as we can in order to handle any incidents that may arise,” says Warren, the former Clinton police chief.

The Clinton campus and MC Law in Jackson were closed Monday with virtual classes still going on. Professors will continue offering virtual classes Tuesday while offices remain closed. MC officials will make decisions Tuesday regarding Wednesday's campus operations.

Faculty and staff are adjusting to the winter emergency. “Admissions is working from home today,” says director Kyle Brantley. His office was set to have a housing portal scheduled to open Monday for new student/roommate selections. But that activity was postponed until Monday, February 22.

Communication professor Phyllis Seawright is using Zoom to teach classes from home on February 15. “I’m very thankful for a gas log fireplace and my husband’s camping stoves if the power goes out,” she said from her Brandon residence. “I’m a Mississippi girl, so do NOT drive on snowy or icy roads.”

An MC graduate, Seawright is “so glad that God sends us these brief days of winter, so we know what it’s like for our friends in other places.”

While MC’s Clinton campus and MC Law in downtown Jackson continue virtual classes through February 16, the Leland Speed Library is closed. Librarians will work from home to offer assistance. They will help via chat, texting, and emails from the library webpage at library.mc.edu.

The MC Writing Center is open and online. Correspondence and chat appointments with tutors are available at mc.mywcoline.com.

Mississippi College’s Alumni Hall is open as well. But the Chick-fil-A and Einsteins Bros. Bagels in the building are closed. MC dining services adjusted their cafeteria hours.

There are contingency plans in place if any buildings lose power or water during Mississippi’s statewide weather emergency. Temperatures in Jackson are forecast to plunge to 10 degrees late Monday evening.

MC Lady Choctaws soccer player Erin Hederman notes the plus side of the chilly winter days in the Magnolia State. “The icy weather allows me to get ahead on a lot of my school work but still have fun with friends in the snow!”

People are encouraged to contact the MC Office of Public Safety at 601-925-3204 should any help be needed.