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The Day the Sky Fell

When the Blizzard of '78 caused a statewide lockdown, Harvard followed suit-grudgingly

All of the subsequent athletic competitions that were originally scheduled to occur during the week of the blizzard were postponed. The Ivy League Championship tournaments in women’s basketball and swimming were originally scheduled to run that week, but these contests were rescheduled so all the participants could attend.

After the Blizzard

Harvard officials ended the three-day-long University shutdown on Thursday, when they announced that classes would meet on a “walk-in” basis, meaning that students and faculty were encouraged to walk to classes, in keeping with the state ban on non-emergency traffic on all roads in eastern Massachusetts.

The University resumed all of its normal operations on Feb. 13, 1978—one week after the blizzard’s snow began to fall.

The College extended the deadline for filing undergraduate study cards by one day, until Feb. 15.

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Despite the three-day disruption of Harvard’s operations, the College did not make any further changes in the academic calendar because of the storm. Faculty teaching courses that met twice a week added a third lecture to make up for those missed during the storm, while others held classes on Saturdays or during reading period.

In Cambridge, snow removal cost an estimated total of $4 million, commissioner of public works Conrad Fagone told The Crimson.

—Staff writer Stephanie M. Skier can be reached at skier@fas.harvard.edu.

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