Well, this sure beats those ugly sweaters John Wiley used to give out. Yesterday, Chancellor Biddy Martin gave 40,000 college students the best Christmas present they could have imagined: a snow day.

It’s easy for six of the beneficiaries of said day to herald the decision as the right one, but beyond giving the student body a day of rest and relaxation (following a night of revelry), the decision was the product of sound planning and realistic foresight.

It would not be unwise for the university to establish a set of guidelines for determining when it is appropriate to cancel classes. In evaluating severe weather situations, the commute to and from campus must be considered. If it is reasonably certain that a weather system will drop a foot (or more) of snow over 12 hours, or create a situation where services that many faculty and student rely on (i.e. city buses) are shut down, classes should be canceled.

As Wednesday dawned, it became apparent that those criteria were met and the university made the right decision. The city and state governments shut down their offices, and Madison slowly began to dig itself out from under around 17 inches of snow.

Around 9:30 a.m., Madison Metro decided to stop bus service throughout the city, a move that would have forced the cancellation of classes anyway. By anticipating the coming snowstorm, the administration freed itself and the student body from the chaos and confusion of calling off a couple hours into the day.

Furthermore, by ordering all non-essential workers to stay home, the university saved thousands of employees and commuter students the dangers of traveling unplowed roads with low visibility, only to have to turn around and make the return trip just hours later.

Such a move stands in stark contrast to previous administration policy, which may have been too cautious for its own good. In recent memory, the university decided to hold classes in February 2008, in the face of snowfalls forecasted to reach up to a foot. During the afternoon, it became apparent that classes could not continue, and students were given the day off. Employees were required to use vacation time if they wanted to leave early or brave rush-hour traffic on roads that were more slosh than asphalt.

Overall, Biddy and the rest of the administration made the right move to cancel classes, and the prospect of missing the Shout-outs probably didn’t faze anyone (they’re still available online). We’re just glad they made the call before the liquor stores closed.