Winter hit us hard this year, with snowstorms arriving one after another, sometimes within a day. Although this means we received a large quantity of snow and even one day off of classes (unspeakable!) it also meant that walking and driving around campus was often treacherous.

Some days, it was even impossible.

Thankfully, the university’s department of Facility Services was on top of it, aiding students in their route to classes. Before the storms even began, workers were out salting the sidewalks to prevent ice. As it was still snowing and freezing, plows were frequently spotted around campus directing the snow, ice, and slush into the less navigated sections. Other vehicles assisted in the snow removal process as well.

However, the process itself was not perfect.

For instance, the largest snow we got this year, which led to the cancelling of classes the next day, also led to me calling off work. The snow was supposed to last all night and I, having connections to Public Safety, found out early on that the plows were going to stop running at 10 p.m. This would have made it impossible to return to campus had I left and with it still snowing heavily, walking was not an option.

I also had trouble getting to work the other day, when the unexpected ice storm hit. My car was cleaned of ice and ready to go when I discovered that the melted snow and slush had been pushed around my car in the DISC lot and had frozen there. It was impossible to drive out of.

Unfortunately, cars getting stuck in parking lots due to the snow removal process seemed to happen frequently. Furthermore, there was still a lot of ice around campus where the salt hadn’t quite reached.

Cars and people were desperately sliding around campus in an often fruitless attempt to get to class and work on time. While the maintenance department did all they could at the time, it was not always enough. However, it was still rather well done, considering the circumstances.

Thankfully we seem to have reached the end of the snow season, and Facility Services ability to remove snow and ice won’t be tested again… or so we hope.