Meteorologists predict the 2014-2015 winter to be more severe than last year’s winter, according to The Farmer’s Almanac.
The Almanac reports that temperatures as low as negative 40 could sweep across the northern plains, resulting in heavy snowfall in the Great Lakes region, which includes Slippery Rock.
Some students feel as though Slippery Rock University has done a poor job of clearing ice and snow from campus roads and pathways in the past, citing last year’s winter as an example.
“I had class at 10 a.m. last semester and they still hadn’t salted the sidewalks,” said Brandon Kraeer, a sophomore exercise science major. “I always saw custodians doing it during the day around noon,” he said.
Another student, Natalie Collins, a sophomore education major, said, “All my classes are in McKay. I was slipping all over the place.”
She added that the university does a particularly poor job of cleaning snow and ice near the residence halls and on ramps around campus, causing her to slip and fall on one occasion.
The Slippery Rock University Facilities and Planning office does have an action plan regarding inclement winter weather, stating “snow and ice are to be removed from campus roadways, walkways, and building entrances in a timely manner,” as their objective.
According to the plan, snow and ice should be addressed even during unstaffed hours, with maintenance representatives on campus throughout the night who are to respond to emergency situations when they are reported by police or when the representatives notice them first-hand.
The harsh conditions of last winter caused the university to cancel or delay class on multiple occasions, which has been a rarity in the past. With ineffective winter clean-up and the Almanac’s prediction of an even harsher winter to come, such delays and cancellations could become more common.
