WebStory_04_Wells_Snow

Heather Wells

Ice and snow have students, faculty, and staff struggling to get to class and work. It’s hard for KSU groundskeepers to keep up with the relentless snow we’ve been seeing all week and this weekend the snow is expected to exceed three feet.

Manager of KSU’s grounds department, Heather White, says that keeping things dry and clear is a difficult process.

“It takes 250 tons of salt just to fill up the salt barrels around campus,” White said. “A lot of thought and coordination goes into this whole process.”

If the snow storm will hit the Kent area as predicted this coming weekend, classes may be cancelled Monday and Tuesday. If classes are cancelled, students will be notified by 6 am that day and any finals that day will be rescheduled for one week later at the same time and place as the original final.

Not only does shoveling, salting and plowing take more workers and longer hours, but it costs more money.

“The annual budget the last several years for a winter season of salt has been about 68,000 dollars.

Some students across campus are upset with the job that the grounds department is doing.

Brandon Lazenko is a sophomore that walks to class from University Street and he says that he was disappointed and mad that he had to go to class in icy conditions.

“I was kinda mad we had school,” Lazenko said. “I walk to class and it was not an easy walk today because of all the ice. Nothing was salted.”