This editorial board wants to express our gratitude to the facilities workers who plowed, shoveled and otherwise removed snow around the University campus, especially in light of the immense amount of snowstorm that crossed the east coast last week. However, this board also acknowledges that a snowstorm of this magnitude requires more than the standard number of employees to appropriately clear the snow. 

While the University closed campus exercises on Monday, Jan. 26, there continued to be concerns about snow removal and icy pathways well into the week, indicating a problem with the number of staff members who were tasked with removing snow. Therefore, the University should take care to hire sufficient staff to accommodate a big storm such as the one we received last week in order to ensure the safety and well-being of the student body and community. 

Some entrances to residence halls and outdoor staircases in lower campus remained blocked  long after the storm on Sunday, and paths have not been maintained after they were created. Many of the paths and stairways around buildings on lower campus — such as those within the Ziv Quadrangle, Ridgewood Residence Halls, Village and Spingold Theater — have become frozen over with black ice after their initial clearance. Areas in the Theater Lot are also challenging to navigate, endangering individuals who commute to the University. 

It is crucial to note that the Shapiro Campus Center’s fire escape was blocked by snow as late as Tuesday night, leaving staff to shovel it themselves. Additionally, some of the main staircases up to Loop Road from East Quad were neglected until Tuesday. The Rabb steps suffer from the same predicament, with the staircase in some spots being covered in ice, putting pedestrians at risk. The landing between its staircases only has a thin strip plowed clear of snow — it is riddled with ice and much too narrow to safely accommodate the heavy foot traffic accumulating throughout regular hours. 

Additionally, throughout the week following the snowstorm, there were several places on campus where snow removal equipment was left unattended, including one machine blocking part of the pathway leading into Gertstenzang Science Library. While this blockage didn’t directly block foot traffic, it could impede emergency services in the event they needed to reach the science buildings or act as a bottleneck during evacuations. Although these potential dangers can easily be mitigated by moving the equipment, the blockage should not have been an issue days after the storm took place, especially in a frequently-populated area. 

During the snowstorm, many students living in dormitories had to plan around a restricted access to food, either due to early dining hall closures or difficulty accessing food options on campus. Sherman Dining Hall closed at 6:30 p.m. on Sunday and Monday, and both The Hive and Dunkin’ Donuts were closed on Tuesday. Students who live in dormitories, especially those without a miniature refrigerator, rely on these facilities for all of their meals. In the days leading up to the storm, University should have anticipated that it would be difficult for many students to leave their dorms in the predicted conditions — especially in consideration of individuals with limited mobility or those without clothes or shoes suited for heavy snow. With this in mind, this board believes the University  should have been prepared to offer   shelf-stable food in accessible spots around the residence halls. 

The members of this editorial board believe that, given the aforementioned closing of dining options on Tuesday, as well as the various issues that took place with the shuttle, the University should have also canceled exercises on Tuesday. The campus shuttle was heavily delayed as the drivers dealt with tight, uncleared corners on the way to the Charles River Apartments, delays being stuck behind snow plows and incidents of being stuck on ice in the road. These issues caused many students living further from campus, for whom walking would have been dangerous due to the heavy snow and ice, to experience unreliable transportation to their classes, causing potentially long waits in the snow, missed shuttles and late arrival to class. At the very least, students should have had the option to join their classes from Zoom on Tuesday so as to alleviate concerns regarding transportation and limited dining options. 

This editorial board understands that winter weather events such as last week’s storm are difficult to manage on a university-wide scale. We would like to reiterate our gratitude for every staff member who assisted in snow clearance, food distribution and the countless essential functions during and after the storm. That being said, we believe that these are necessary considerations for the University’s future responses to inclement weather.