By Drew Teague

One issue has become a popular of a topic on UK’s campus in recent weeks: weather.

On Wednesday morning, many students were woken up by the sound of residence hall’s public announcement system, tornado sirens and UK Alerts sent out warning students of tornadoes.

Students like Kaitlin Mitchell, an early childhood education freshman, were thankful they were warned about the possible danger.

“It’s really scary to wake up to a tornado warning because it gets your adrenaline pumping,” Mitchell said. “And you have to go downstairs, and you’re hungry and you have to worry about all your stuff in your room.”

UK Spokesman Jay Blanton said because classes had already begun at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, the university was unable to cancel classes.

“Classes were already underway and faculty then has the discretion to work with that and do what they need to do to maintain safety,” Blanton said.

“As to students missing classes, the provost is talking to the Faculty Senate and starting that process to ensure that faculty knows that we’d like them to use discretion,” Blanton said. “Obviously some students might have been going to a nine o’clock class, or were out of class and had to be late or miss that class.”

It is not mandatory for students to take cover.

“I was really surprised by the lack of people who went downstairs,” she said.

Blanton said students are able to make their own decisions about what to do during serious weather.

“Students are adults and they need to use some discretion about making choices about what they need to do as well,” Blanton said.

Tyler Hudnall, a kinesiology sophomore, thought the university’s warning system is a good way to spread the word to students, staff and faculty efficiently.

“I think (UK) does a fine job of warning us,” Hudnall said. “There are text messages, there’s emails sent out. Hall directors are made aware. I was texting friends— they were telling me that they were in class and got taken out to the basement.”

Hudnall said he feels the lack of actual tornadoes, will cause students to stop taking cover when prompted to by the university.

“It’s just annoying and tiring,” Hudnall said. “It’s like the boy cried wolf, the more and more we get called down to the basement and nothing happens, the more and more we don’t want to go.”

UK Parking & Transportation Services is investigating the possibility of lightning striking the top of Parking Structure No. 7 during the storm.

“It appears that there may have been (a lightning strike) … so we think possibly over night, but we aren’t sure,” Chrissie Tune, a UK marketing and promotion specialist, said. “We have some officers investigating that right now.”

The lightning strike disabled the timer on the gates of the parking structure, which resulted in it opening late, Tune said.