It almost seems crazy that two months ago during the holidays, all anyone wanted was snow. It has now reached a point where there is so much snow on campus that it looks like Narnia.
The recent storms are dangerous not only for commuters on the road but for people on campus, too. Driving in the snow can be a nightmare; no one should have to travel in icy or slippery road conditions. Those walking around on campus also need to be very careful, not only because of the numerous tree branches snapping off from the extra weight of snow that has built up, but because of the snow that has not been cleaned up sufficiently by the university.
Despite the university’s efforts to make clear and safe pathways near the academic mall, there are still areas near the residential buildings where students have been slipping and falling on black ice. H Quad’s dangerous and unclean paths sent one of the RHDs from the quad to the hospital. And the middle of the West Apartment complexes is nearly impassable to the point that traversing these pathways bears a striking similarity to ice skating.
Some of the pathways are completely covered in ice without any salt to increase the friction. If this is not addressed, someone will, without a doubt, fall and get hurt due to the university’s negligence.
The university is in a difficult position. It has already gone far beyond the budget allotted towards snow removal, which makes it understandable that these hard-to-reach regions of campus are not perfectly cleared. However, these pathways need to be addressed before a student is injured on their way to class.
Sure, there are some perks to having all of this snow, like the cancellation of classes and having snowball fights and building snowmen. But it is hard to enjoy the winter weather when concentrating on getting around the quads safely.
The small deposits of snow that are happening week to week are manageable to deal with when it comes to plowing and salting the grounds on campus, and yet walking around campus is still dangerous. Stony Brook needs to improve clean-up efforts in residential areas and within the quads for the safety of the students.
The snow is not going away anytime soon, and we’re likely to see more of it. Luckily, March is quickly approaching and one can only hope that the weather will start to clear up what the university left behind.
