Although winter storm walloped the east coast all weekend, the Cabrini community pulled together so well that by Tuesday, the campus parking lots and walkways were so clear that it was hard to believe that some surrounding communities were still crippled.
Winter storm Jonas swept through the United States this past weekend leaving at least 48 dead, a quarter million customers without power and many with a dangerous Monday morning commute, according to the Weather Channel.
According to the Huffington Post, 11,000 flights were cancelled, extreme flooding was seen in shore areas and 11 states declared a state of emergency as the storm hit the east coast.
One key problem with this storm is the record amounts of snow left still days later after the storm. The snowfall is starting to cause roof collapses around the country and feet of snow are seen in locations all over the coast.
Although the snow may have stopped falling later this past weekend, it did not mean that everything could resume as normal. The storm left the college’s campus with a cancellation on Monday as well as a delay early Tuesday in order to ensure safety for the school’s community.
“The campus community really pulls together in times like these to support one another and to make sure that the students and staff are safe,” Sue Kramer, director of residence life, said.
The closures happened with the hopes of plowing more of campus and making it possible for students to park their cars.
“Facilities did an amazing job working hard to ensure that the parking lots were cleared and students had safe sidewalks to walk on,” Akirah Massenburg, assistant director of residence life, said.
Residence Life works closely with Sodexo, Public Safety and Facilities to provide temporary housing to employees who work during the storms and can not safely get home. Residence Life also worked to create programs to keep students busy and out of the snow, such as planning movie nights, board game gatherings and hanging out with friends.
Students were seen working together to dig their cars out of the snow on Residential Boulevard. Resident assistants and professional staff members joined in the effort to ensure that students were not alone during the shoveling process.
“While the snow can make our campus look even more picturesque than usual, the quantity of snow from Winter Storm Jonas was challenging to manage and remove,” Dr. Donald Taylor, college president, said. “The Facilities staff always do a remarkable job getting roads, walkways, and parking areas clear so the campus can function safely. This storm was no exception.”
Maintenance had a tireless effort to clear sidewalks, roads and parking lots around campus.
“We all owe our Facilities team a collective ‘thank you’ for the long hours they worked to get our campus up and running,” Taylor said. “The same goes for our other essential personnel, including Public Safety, Residence Life, Dining Services, Dixon Center staff and the others who continue to serve our campus during storms. I thank them for their professionalism and commitment to the College.”
