Winter Weather: Traffic and Campus Safety Regulations in Kent

With college campuses accommodating several thousands of students and faculty on a daily basis, it’s crucial that the safety of the campus environment and grounds are the university’s number one concern. Every year, winter weather embarks upon us – sometimes subtly, and others more harshly. It’s important for school administrators to take into account several different factors when making decisions about campus safety.

Starting last Monday and throughout the week, Kent and surrounding cities reaped in several inches of snow, making traveling conditions and sidewalks less than favorable to venture out in. While conditions at times were treacherous, campus safety and other administrators worked hard to keep the roads and sidewalks clear.

Manager of the grounds, Heather White, manages and oversees groundskeepers, equipment operators, refuse and recycling purposes, athletic fields and parking maintenance at Kent State.

“A typical winter, we are using twelve hundred tons of salt. This year, we are in the vicinity of four to five hundred tons of use,” said White.

As far as what personnel covers and treats which part of campus, she said it is split up into different areas for separate people take care of.

“We split the campus into different areas for different people to take care of. We have plows on tractors, plows on kubotas, plows on pickup trucks, and then large plow trucks. Our large plow trucks could be out around the clock if necessary.”

White said last week the plow trucks were active in the middle of the night, as well as the police -because they needed to be sure the roads were permissible at all times. She said on weekends, if necessary, they will prioritize around dining facilities, in order to be sure students are able to make their way out of the dorms and around campus.

Last Tuesday equipment operators started up at 4 am, and the groundskeepers came in a 6 am.

“We are attacking steps, where you’ll notice on places like Franklin and Lowry hall, where you have triple sets of steps, that we are closing two of them now,” she said.

John Peach, Director of Public Safety, said the department is responsible primarily for the public safety and security of the campus, and that includes more than just crime.

“It also includes those areas that we think are a public risk. There are other offices on campus, such as risk management, occupational health, etc., that also relate to the health and well-being of everyone on campus. The very clear issues that are weather related or might affect the risk for safety is what our department is concerned about and responsible for.”

Peach said the department works in concert with University Maintenance and University Facilities Management.

“We work together to obtain and provide information to the Vice President and Provost regarding what the conditions currently are relative to Kent State’s campus.”

Mark Polatajko, senior Vice President for Financial Administration and the Provost, senior Vice President for Academic Affairs Todd Diacon, are the two that make the final decision on behalf of the president regarding the status of opening or canceling classes.

Peach said there are four primary issues they examine before making decisions about campus closings.

1. “What is the condition of the major roadways leading to campus? This doesn’t mean every single two-lane highway, but what are the major roadways where most of the commuters, faculty and staff will be using to get to campus? Are they passible, are they highly treacherous, what is the condition?
2.  “Number two, what is the condition of the campus roadways and the sidewalks? Because obviously the sidewalks and the entranceways to all the buildings must be clear of snow and ice, in order to safely allow people to ingress and digress.”
3.  “Third, what is the condition of the parking lots? We have to have parking lot space clear that is available for those coming on campus, and if we don’t, we got a major problem.”
4.  “Lastly, the one that is rarely used and has to do with the chill factor and if it reaches -20 degrees farenheit, then they would make a decision to dismiss classes. There are a number of people who not only walk to classes, but obviously wait for the busses and so forth,” Peach said.

Peach said these guidelines have never changed, and they will continue to stay the same.
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“There has to be some kind of groundwork put in place when it comes to extremely cold temperatures and negative wind chills” – Peach[/pullquote]

Ernie Reynolds, Superintendent of Public Services at Norton, said there’s always a preparation for clearing roadways.

“If there’s a storm coming, we’ll always schedule guys to come in and they are on call 24-7. “Last, Tuesday, they were out twenty six hours straight,” said Reynolds.

Dispatchers are constantly monitoring the weather and have all the weather information that is available to the public.

“We are notifying both the Department of Transportation, state patrol and other agencies to find out the conditions of roadways and highways in cities and areas surrounding Kent,” said Peach. “It isn’t just a guess we make. We are really getting input from those jurisdictions and agencies responsible for those outlying areas,” Peach said.

He added that they also take into account where the reasonable risk is regarding how much snow and ice is on the roads and walkways, and whether or not it will be reasonable to clear enough out in a timely manner.”

“It takes alot, especially us being a small city, and having six trucks, eight guys, and we do an enormous amount of work for that amount of people,” said Reynolds.

“You’ll have lots of people complaining. It’s a lose-lose proposition. But President Warren is very strong in keeping her conviction of keeping the campus safe and providing a safe environment, and she relies on the Provost and Vice President Polatajko to make these decisions. As adults we take some added risks that we wouldn’t give to our children, so we can’t look at what they elementary school are doing – we are using adult standards which I think most people can understand,” said Peach.

“I am convinced that the one issue President Warren will be criticized on is calling classes or not calling classes because of weather.” -Peach

He said the university does not mandate any student to come to class, no matter what.

“What they do is they give the student and the faculty the right to make the decision that’s best for them. This means that the Provost is really in the student’s corner if it’s bad out there. So the faculty is the one who gives the grade, but they are told in very firm terms to give consideration to those people who have to drive in unsafe conditions. This message is constantly given, and in most cases, it’s really honored.”