During the colder months of the year, our Facilities staff are ready to keep the sidewalks and entryways around the residence halls and dining units clear and safe for you to walk on. Safety is our top priority, and all hands are on deck when snow starts falling. We make a plan for the winter in October, so whenever it snows, we’re prepared and know what to do. Here’s what happens behind the scenes to clear ice and snow from walkways.
What Do We Do?
Keeping up with falling snow and ice can be much more than shoveling sidewalks. We also plow larger areas, chip ice, and apply ice melt, salt, and/or sand as needed. We make sure to clear the areas around trash and recycling containers, dumpsters, and compactors, and we keep snow away from drains. This takes precedence over other regularly assigned tasks, and we make sure to keep up with the snow so it doesn’t accumulate too much.
Who Do We Call?
Everyone! Okay, not really, but many of our Facilities staff, including student staff, are out shoveling, plowing, and spreading salt whether it’s 12am or 12pm. Our daytime Building Services staff handle snow and ice removal from sidewalks, mechanics break out the plows during the day, and our nighttime staff take care of snow and ice on the ground after 3:30pm.
We Don’t Do it Alone
We take care of a lot of walkways, but the campus Grounds department helps us out, too! We work out with them which areas they take care of and which we will handle. They focus on roads and larger walkways with higher foot traffic so we can focus on helping you get in and out of buildings safely. Learn more about what Facilities Planning & Management on campus does to keep the whole campus snow- and ice-free.
If you see any outdoor areas that are snow and ice covered that haven’t been cleared several hours after the snow has stopped falling, please submit a maintenance request so we can address it as soon as possible.