Two students were killed driving in Genesee County last week. They weren’t Oakland University students, but it’s only a matter of time before we see that headline.

“The Sheriff’s Department said that  weather played a role,” reported ABC 12 News in Flint, Michigan.

The National Weather Service issued wind chill advisories across the state for Wednesday night through late Thursday afternoon. Oakland County was not left out.

“If you must venture out…” the warning read, just before explaining frostbite was a very real danger.

If. You. Must.

The weather service has a nifty chart to calculate the danger of frostbite. Early Thursday evening, the weather service reported a temperature of two degrees and a wind speed of 30 mph.

It would have taken about 12 minutes for exposed skin to become frostbitten.

That may seem like a long time until you realize it can take as much as 15 minutes to cross the campus in good weather.

The wind chill advisory was replaced with a winter weather advisory—up to four inches of snow, limited visibility, and slippery roads in the matter of a few hours.

Did the university cancel? Of course not. Despite the nearly 24 hour long begging of students on social media to close the campus, their pleas were ignored.

But let’s forget the opinion of the students for a moment. I’ve learned in my four years at Oakland University that the opinion of us “college kids” means very little to six-figure earning, doctorate wielding administrators.

Certainly, the administrators would heed the warnings of the National Weather Service, right? You know, the government agency responsible for reporting the weather and looking out for the weather-related safety and well-being of the entire country? Nope.

But, I get it. While students were stiffed with brutal cold and dangerous driving conditions—risking their health and lives to avoid being penalized by the, generally, unconcerned faculty—the school administrators were sitting comfortably in the safety and warmth of their homes.

We’re adults. We have the freedom to choose between our safety and class. Unfortunately, few of us can afford our education without hefty loans and government aid (and the university continuing to jack up tuition in spite of that).

With no policies in place to protect students from the retribution of their instructors when choosing to forgo class due to dangerous conditions, many choose to risk life and limb to attend class rather than risk their $1000-plus investment.

You have our money. Do you demand our lives also?