UPDATED: Oct. 29, 10:22 p.m.

Syracuse University canceled classes for part of Monday and all of Tuesday to protect students from strong winds and heavy rain associated with Hurricane-turned Superstorm Sandy.

Kevin Quinn, senior vice president for public affairs, said the emergency preparedness committee began monitoring the storm’s progress on Friday. Senior staff met with Chancellor Nancy Cantor on Monday morning and made the decision to cancel classes.

“Part of the reason we made the decision was we are going to get some rain, but really the decision was for the safety of campus community members with focus on the wind,” Quinn said.

Quinn said the university did not want students to be injured by “tree branches or other flying debris” while walking to classes tomorrow, given the severe wind, which also played into the decision to cancel classes.

SU canceled classes starting after 1:40 p.m. on Monday and all classes on Tuesday, as well as all campus events and University College classes. Classes held off site in Washington, D.C., and New York City were also canceled.

Currently, Quinn said, classes are expected to resume on a regular schedule starting Wednesday. But, he said, the university will continue to monitor the situation.

The State University of New York College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry canceled classes starting at 2 p.m. on Monday until 11 a.m. Tuesday, said Claire Dunn, director of communications at ESF.

Offices at ESF operated with limited staff after 3 p.m. on Monday and are scheduled to reopen at 10 a.m. Tuesday.

SU last canceled classes on March 7, 2011, due to snow.

All “essential campus services,” including dining centers, the Schine and Goldstein dining centers, the Department of Public Safety and Health Services, are operating on a regular schedule. E.S. Bird Library closed at 1:30 p.m. Monday.

Kelly Czysz, a junior inclusive elementary and special education student living in a “cement box” on South Campus, said she is not nervous about the incoming storm.

“It’s nice to have a day off,” Czysz said. “I’m probably going to spend it catching up on work and sleep.”

She said her biggest concern is the possibility of losing power.

If a power outage occurs, the university will issue an Orange Alert to inform the campus community of what to do, according to the campus-wide email.

Quinn said the university is keeping an eye on the “utility situation” and is prepared to address any power-outage issues.

But some students worry a loss of power could pose an academic problem.

“One professor maintained a Tuesday deadline for an online submission, which I honestly find ignorant to the potential for losing power,” said Matt Wood, a fifth-year architecture major.

If the storm is as bad as predicted, Wood said he hopes students stay inside and take proper precautions.

“As rare as a hurricane is in Syracuse, we don’t need any heroes,” he said.

Though most students are celebrating the cancellation of classes and are glad the university is erring on the side of caution, some said they aren’t sure Syracuse will actually be affected by the superstorm.

“I feel like it’s just a situation like where it snows in Atlanta and everybody freaks out,” said Stephanie Shaw, a senior English and textual studies major.

Shaw said she doesn’t necessarily think people are overreacting, but that they’re trying to brace themselves for a storm more typical in the Caribbean than this far north.

But she did say she was excited for the days off and said it reminded her of her childhood, when kids would sleep with their pajamas inside out, hoping for a day off from school.

For Jennifer Osias, this “experience” couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I was so happy,” said Osias, a senior political science and international relations double major. “This just made my week from Hell so much better.”

—Staff writer Dara McBride contributed reporting to this article.