Freezing rain and icy road conditions gave drivers a dangerous commute Tuesday morning. Due to the conditions, morning classes at the University of Tennessee were canceled until 10 a.m., giving students an extra two hours to travel to campus.

The rain began to fall early Tuesday morning and continued well into the afternoon. Freezing temperatures lasted until then as well, causing treacherous driving conditions across the Knoxville area. Students still had to brave the ice as many sidewalks across campus remained frozen into the early afternoon.

"I live on campus, so I didn't have to worry about driving, but I slipped twice on my way to class," said Cassie Gilman, a senior in English. "The sidewalks were still frozen."

The inclement weather did, however, allow the university to showcase its flow of information to students and faculty. An email was sent out at 8:28 a.m. informing the UT community that classes would begin at 10. For some, this email came a little too late.

"I drove all the way to my 8 o'clock to find out that it was canceled," said Will Rucker, a sophomore in Studio Art. "Fortunately, that's my only Tuesday class, so I just went back home and slept."

Many students were able to take advantage of the new UT Alert system that was put into effect in response to the Virginia Tech shootings last spring. These students and faculty recieved information about class cancelations as early as 7:20 a.m.

UT Alert is a free service that was initiated during the summer of 2007 as a way to quickly spread vital information to students and faculty. A text message is sent to those who have signed up for the service, informing them of safety and weather issues in or around campus.

Classes are scheduled as usual for the rest of the week, but in the case of more winter weather, UT Alert may be the best way to receive the earliest information.