BY CALEB TOBIN
Photo Credit: Caleb Tobin
Stonehill students returned for the spring semester to a chilly and ice-covered campus.
Data from the National Weather Service shows temperatures in the mid-20s for the first week of the spring semester, which created icy conditions across campus. Occasional snowfall added to the unpleasant weather.
Some students said the cold and ice made them not want to leave their dorms.
“It’s awful. I don’t want to have to leave my room,” said Chloe Teller, a junior. “It is really icy. Some of my friends have fallen.”
Others said the school did a good job making sure roads and parking lots were clear.
“I think they do a pretty good job. I was lucky to have a cleared parking spot after the snow,” said Hunter Schulz, a senior who commutes to school. “Just be careful on the back stairs of Cushing-Martin, they can be a bit slick.”
The College’s facilities department is responsible for clearing snow and ice. Director of Facilities Management Bruce Boyer outlined how the department prioritizes which areas to clear first.
“During a snow event, our first efforts are to clear our roadways, building entrances, and main walkways in order to maintain emergency access to all areas of the campus,” Boyer said. “Once these areas are cleared and safe, we begin to clear our parking lots.”
One issue the department faces is dealing with sudden freezes. “The biggest challenge is when we have some melting and then a sudden refreeze. We get staff and equipment dispatched quickly but it can take some time for the material that we put down to work,” Boyer said.
The Fr. Healy Bridge connecting Bogan Hall to Shields Science Center is known to be a particularly icy spot. Students who use it said no sand or ice melt was put down on the bridge.
“They didn’t salt or shovel anywhere over there,” said Haley Taylor, a junior who uses the bridge every day. Boyer said the department is limited in how it can clear snow and ice from the bridge.
“Because of environmental regulations, we are very limited on how we can remove snow from the bridge. We cannot put down any ice melt, sand, or salt,” Boyer said.
He asked students to not use the bridge if it snows until it can be cleared off.
Boyer said Campus Police constantly patrols the campus and notify the facilities department of any issues they see.
“Our priority is and always will be the safety and well-being of the entire campus community,” he said.
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