Although it feels like spring is in full swing, winter’s snow was falling just days ago. On the Connecticut College campus, the community experienced “winter,” in its full effect for about a month – snow igloos, nordic skis and snowball fights. A celebratory cry rings from students when classes are cancelled, but it seems that the reason for cancellations is overlooked. The weather was never bad enough that students couldn’t walk from their dorm to their classroom building; just lace up the winter boots, put on a winter parka, and it was all okay. The real reason for canceling classes is safety.
In order for the grounds and custodial staff to be able to clear the essential pathways of snow, people cannot be walking in the way, and cars cannot be blocking the roads. Cancelling classes on extrmely heavy snow fall days makes it easier and safer for everyone involved in the snow removal process. The job is taxing enough without added obstacles.
The grounds and custodial staff are on call all the time, so as soon as Campus Safety perceives it is becoming slippery, the nine-person Snow Removal Crew is called in. On a normal day, they work from 7am to 3:30pm. If the snow persists, or more work needs to be done to keep the campus safe, half the staff will stay until 12am. If even more work is needed, the half crew that went home at 3:30pm returns at 12am and works their overtime shift, 12am-7am, as well as their normal shift, 7am-3:30pm. If the snow continues to cause safety concern on campus, the 16-hour workday cycle continues. The result, according to Jim Luce, Head of Grounds: “the crews are exhausted!”
Grounds staff are in charge of machinery and plowing, while the custodial crews are in charge of shoveling. The school owns plows for the roads, little Bobcats for the wider sidewalks and shovels for steeper or narrower paths and stairs. Because there was so much snow last year, the school even has a three-month rental on a pay loader to stack the snow away from important paths.
There are so many little things that need to be remembered when conducting this work. Fire extinguishers, handicap ramps and emergency exits need to be cleared immediately. Snow piles can only be stacked in certain places on campus to ensure they are not in the way. Salt sand mixtures need to be distributed as quickly as possible to prevent black ice. Additionally, parking spaces need to be cleared so that faculty and staff can meet their obligations on time. It is increasingly difficult to clear parking spaces of snow if there are already cars in the spots. This is why the parking ban is so important.
“Snow removal is a big responsibility, and unfortunately, it is usually a thankless job as well,” Jim Luce described. It’s a lot of work, and when it isn’t done fast enough, the staff are held responsible. This is an unfair responsibility. The staff doesn’t control the weather, and they only have a limited number of people working at clearing the snow. A lot of the time, students do not see the amount of work that goes into clearing the campus, so it is not publicly recognized or thanked.
While it seems as if winter is nearly over this year, an improved system, which includes the entire school, should be considered for next winter. •
