Maisie Strader
Special to The Leader
During the winter season, Fredonia students have had slippery accidents on walkways, and the ice has even prevented the ability for some students to safely navigate campus at all. What action is being taken to prevent these problems?
The assistant director of Facility Services along with a first-year music student have a few things to say.
“I think they need to take better care and upkeep of the stairs,” said Julia Klement, a first year music student. “I fell the other day leaving Fenton. I think that the students just need to be careful.”
On the popular anonymous social media app Yik Yak, many students said that they are having the same issue as Klement.
“To the person who fell down Thompson I hope you’re doing okay,” said one anonymous user on Yik Yak.
When asked about the instances or problems in the past year, Mark Delcamp, assistant director of Facility Services at Fredonia said “Everything is managed in time. We utilize our employees to the best of our abilities with our equipment. We are in the process of budgeting for some new equipment which will help us to provide consistent and more thorough services to the campus.”
Both the University Police and the Marketing/Communication Department both help spread safety information to the campus community on a regular basis.
“We always want everyone to be aware of the danger that comes along with the winter storms … especially when you are arriving on campus and driving home,” Delcamp said.
UPD and Marketing/Communication often spend the most time ensuring the safety of campus roads.
“Priority number one is roadways,” Delcamp said. “We need to ensure that the many users of our campus can come and go as needed, especially emergency vehicles. At the same time, we are clearing roadways and parking lots and staff working on adjacent sidewalks. We prioritize sidewalks based on the needs of students with accessibility issues. We work with Jennifer Ruhland, Coordinator of Disability Support Services, to coordinate the clearing of travel paths for those respective students so they can easily navigate and get to their classes safely.”
Delcamp expresses that all storms are going to be “unique,” which also means that each storm will come with a different plan.
As Delcamp prepares for another winter storm, remember that everyone is doing their best, either trying not to slip or trying to prevent the falls.