While most of us are snug in bed during the early morning hours of an Iowa snowfall, some employees of Iowa State are hard at work clearing miles of sidewalks on campus.

Dennis Erickson, manger of Campus Services, has spent the last 34 years dedicated to the beautification of Iowa State’s campus. Part of that job, and the jobs of about 45 others, involves removing snow from 34 miles of ISU’s sidewalk system.

ISU’s snow removal crew usually begins snow removal duty by 2 a.m. the morning after a snowstorm. The custodial staff also helps out in the snow removal process and arrive at about 5 a.m.

“Snow removal is one of the jobs we do the least, but we do it well,” Erickson said. Sometimes the job gets hard, especially if the crew runs for several days without much rest from old man winter.”

When the campus saw almost five inches of snow fall last Wednesday, Erickson said there were people working all night long to clear the roads and sidewalks. This is not uncommon if the snow falls rapidly or has been consistently blowing around.

Erickson said by having staff work all day and all night, it is possible for campus services to keep more roads from being closed. When the crew works long hours, they are preventing frustration for a lot of drivers and students, he said.

Removing the snow can get tough when snow has accumulated over five inches, Erickson said. After the accumulation of 12 inches or more, it can become impossible to push the snow anywhere because the amount of storage area has not been built or is not available.

“We have a lot of decisions to make in regards to the snowfall,” Erickson said. “It also becomes much easier to remove snow during Christmas because the students are gone and we can maneuver easier.”

The snow has never been so bad that ISU machines have not been able to run. However, there have been a few problems with pieces of equipment, Erickson said.

Erickson said there have been several times when snowfall has been so massive that removal crews were forced to drill holes though drifts before the plow could move through.

In his 34 years at ISU, Erickson said he has not seen a snowfall of over 15 inches.

Tricia Naden, a sophomore in apparel merchandising, said she thinks ISU’s snow removal crew is doing a fine job.

“I live in Willow and the sidewalks and the route to school is always cleared,” Naden said. “I even recall them stopping to let students pass.”

Erin Mahlow, a sophomore in animal science, is also pleased with the crew’s performance, but she doesn’t like it when they pack the snow down.

“The big sweeper on the front of the machines, just packs the snow down and makes the sidewalks more slick,” she said.