By the time this is printed and delivered to the public,Stony Brook will probably have seen some six to twelve inches of snow added tolast week’s dumping. The question on the minds of most students-particularlyresidents-is whether university maintence will clean up its act and put somereal effort into clearing parking lots and walkways, or whether these areaswill continue to present a real threat to those who live on campus.

Last Friday, the plows and salting trucks were out even asthe flakes continued to fall. Crews worked in main areas of campus to ensurethat, by Monday, the academic areas would be mostly cleared, so that students,staff and faculty could go about their daily business.

But the residential areas were conspicuously neglected. OnMonday night, my professor announced that one of our classmates would be absentbecause she could not venture out in her wheelchair. The ramps in her residencehall were icy and buried in snowdrifts. Okay, perhaps it was just an oversight.

Surely, Campus Residence would make sure that the residential areas weresufficiently cleared by Wednesday or so.

But ten days after the first snowstorm, the Tabler Quadparking facility is still slick with black ice and piled with snow. Tires spinand yellow lines are obscured. It’s a dangerous place. Outside of everyresidence hall in every quad, students battle slippery walkways that havelikely not seen a plow or salt in over a week, despite the subsequent dustingsof snow and consistently low temperatures. This author took a spill outside ofDouglas College and was saved from serious injury thanks to a convenientlylocated snowbank.

Student safety is supposedly a major concern of thisUniversity, but it seems that as of late, the Administration has put itspriorities elsewhere. Investing in more equipment and allowing workers to putin more hours may cost money, but it could save the University future lawsuitsand improve quality of life for students.