Campus snow

Campus snow

by Raiisha Jefferson, The Whetstone

Students and faculty were hit with 14.2 inches of snow late January as Winter Storm Jonas dumped a blanket of white over the campus.

The storm began around 4 p.m. on Jan. 22 and lasted until 7 a.m. Jan. 24. School was canceled the next day as staff continued the clean-up.

To prepare for the snow, security salted the walkways and parking lots before the storm hit.

“Access to parking lots were cleared by the end of the day Sunday,” Rick Richardson, head of maintenance said. “We buy salt before the school year,” which includes 650 bags of salt.

Many students spent Monday digging out their cars.

Junior Najya Beatty’s green Nissan Sentra was stuck.

Beatty called Wesley Security Sunday night and asked if they could help her dig her car out. She had to go to her job at Big Lots on Monday.

She said security told her they couldn’t help her, but there would be shovels available.

On Monday, Beatty said, “I was digging out with one of those new recycle bins they gave us.” A maintenance worker let her borrow his shovel, but the snow proved too high for her.

She was rescued by two men who lived across the street from the Chapel, near where her car was stuck.

“They got their metal shovels and they dug me out,” she said. “They pushed the car out for me, too, and I could go to work.”

Car buried in snow

Car buried in snow

School officials sent out an email to students to contact Area Coordinator John Caldora in Williams Hall “to sign out a shovel.”

Head of security Walt Beaupre said he was in touch with the Delaware Emergency Management Agency throughout the weekend for updates about the storm and road conditions.

“We provide those updates to the president and college staff,” he said. “From there, we make determinations on how it’ll impact the school.”

Staff were offered rooms during the storm as well, but none took one.

“Everyone is local or within walking distance,” said Assistant Food Service Director Michael Dacko.

Like Beatty, other students had to clear their cars from the aftermath.

“I don’t have a car, but I did have to help a bunch of friends shovel their cars out,” said sophomore Bruce Mosley.

Students were able to borrow and sign out shovels from the school.

During the storm, students were able to make their own snowmen, but most students chose to stay indoors.

“I stayed in my dorm some of the time during the storm,” said sophomore Chris Jackson. “But I also came down to the underground to chill and play video games because my friends were there.”

However, some chose to plan ahead and go elsewhere during the storm.

“I was snowed in with my boyfriend,” said junior Yasmine Johnson. “He lives close by Wesley in Dover, so I stayed indoors with him and spent most of the storm sleeping.”