Students who have grown up in the area know Buffalo winters are no picnic and those who are here for school are quickly learning. Snow, freezing rain, slush and black ice make for hazardous driving conditions - and that was just the other night.
Anyone who was unfortunate enough to go outside to go their cars, get to their dorms, etc, can agree that it's like a Slip 'n Slide out there.
"There has been a definite increase in the number of people who have fallen in the past two weeks," said Gerald Schoenle, chief of University Police. "The conditions in past weeks have been severe."
Due to the weather, snowplows have been working hard, since they have a large area to cover. University Facilities' priority is to salt the roads to protect drivers, because if snowy conditions make getting to class too hazardous, general policy is to cancel classes.
"There is a campus-wide effort to...salt and make walkways as safe as possible," said Joe Raab, Assistant Vice President of University Facilities.
Despite their efforts, areas such as South Campus and the areas surrounding the residence halls are all suffering, with students fighting to stay upright. With snow and ice removal lacking and no one taking blame for areas missing salt or snow clearance, students are left to weigh the choice: skip class or potentially get hurt.
University Facilities is trying to keep injuries from slipping on icy roads at a minimum, but not hard enough. Meanwhile, residence hall directors shouldn't stand idly by, knowing that residents are venturing into dangerous conditions.
Peter Smith, Assistant Director for Residential Life, maintains that it's not his job to salt the sidewalks. That's kind of like saying it's not his job to look out for the well being of the faculty, staff and students. Everybody, not just UB Facilities and maintenance people need to be helping out this season.
University administrators shouldn't allow dysfunction that could lead to harm to the student body, even if it's not "technically" their jobs. Let's save the Slip 'n Slide for summertime.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
