Since returning from winter break, one thing has concerned me. After the big winter storm not all sidewalks have been shoveled very well. Some have been partially shoveled or they have big ice patches.

The university should be able to keep all paths as clean as possible. Students are in danger of getting into an accident with all the ice patches on the sidewalks. After the last freezing rain, I expected salt all over campus the next morning, but it didn’t happen. Instead, everyone was walking slowly so they wouldn’t fall.

The university also uses sand instead of salt. The sand is a good idea, but it makes a big mess and gets everyone dirty.

Outside of Oak-Elm Hall, sand is everywhere. By walking through campus, one can see that everyone has gotten their shoes and jeans dirty from sand. Sand almost always melts the ice, but salt is better and should be used right away, as is done on city streets.

The university needs to keep all paths shoveled and ice-free. If there is another snowstorm while school is in session will the whole campus be clean and safe for all students? If not, then it is likely that students would miss class because they don’t want to walk in the snow or ice patches on the sidewalk. The safety of students should come first. Right now, students have no worries in some places because the ice has pretty much melted, but the snow can turn into ice when the temperature drops.

Rosa Avelar

Freshman

Civil Engineering