The University of Illinois canceled class for Tuesday and Wednesday after the area was dumped with more than a foot of snow and a blizzard warning was put in effect. Jeff Unger, director of the news bureau at Illinois, said more than five inches of snow had fallen as of 8 a.m. Tuesday, and the forecast predicted up to another foot of snow with conditions unsafe for students, faculty and staff. While maintenance crews attempted to clear roads and sidewalks in time for class, Unger said the intense winds blew much of the plowed snow back onto the streets. "The roads into campus are unpassable," Unger said. "People should not have to get out on the roads." Unger said the university has not closed since January 1979 and added that only under extreme conditions does Illinois even consider it. In addition, Unger said besides campus buildings, businesses on Green Street, a main commercial street in Champaigne, closed. Buses also temporarily stopped running on both the city and campus lines. Unger said non-essential campus employees who reported to work Tuesday would be paid for their shift, and others who did not report to work were allowed to use accrued benefits including vacation, floating holiday or comp time. However, University of Illinois sophomore Ben Merritt said students benefited from the snow day, giving them an extra day to work on a paper or study for a test. "We are ecstatic," Merritt said. "For me, it is great — I have a paper due tomorrow." The University of Wisconsin rarely closes because of weather conditions despite snow or even recently the extreme temperature conditions. UW-Madison spokesperson John Lucas said the decision to close the university is evaluated on a case-by-case basis with no specific criteria. "If it is determined that the safety for both the students and faculty is in jeopardy, that is the only time the university will close," Lucas said. Lucas added the last time that UW-Madison has closed for the entire day was when 17 inches of snow fell in a 12 to 16 hour period in 1990. Last year, evening classes were canceled after a snowstorm came in the late afternoon. According to Lucas, there are a limited number of class meetings each semester, and canceling classes requires professors to tweak their schedules. In addition, Lucas said students are paying thousands of dollars a year toward tuition, and every class period is worth a lot of money. "As much as everyone loves a snow day, unless it is dangerous, it will not happen," he added. The University of Illinois canceled classes for today as well on account of the continuing bad weather and will reassess the condition later in the day for class schedules for the remainder of the week.