henryaj@lopers.unk.edu

With the past couple of weeks turning the town of Kearney into a large snow pile, it has been rather difficult for some students to navigate campus. On campus, unclean roads and sidewalks play a major part in how students travel to and from classes.

Icy roads, snowy skies and harsh conditions make it difficult for a relaxing drive — or a mad dash to class — without having extra caution.

“I’ve definitely had bad experiences with road and sidewalk conditions around campus,” said Isabella Nicolarsen, a junior at UNK studying business administration. “Usually if I know the roads are going to be bad, I just anticipate that the university is not going to do a good job of making sure that the conditions on campus are safe, so I make sure that I plan enough time to get to class on time.”

With the overwhelming amount of snow that has fallen these past couple of weeks, extra time is needed when driving from place to place. As roads started clearing up, another large snowfall hit amounting to almost another seven inches of snow. And as forecasts continue to change, up-to-date information about weather and road conditions can change within hours. 

“Sometimes it’s hard to know what the weather is going to look like in the morning,” said Elisa Pablo, a junior at UNK studying family science. “I commute both to work and to class during the week and there really hasn’t been a day that I haven’t found myself nervous about finding parking on campus or even making it to class on time due to the snow.”

Some students have expressed concerns about the lack of parking on campus. With the large amounts of snow, parking spaces are even more limited than before.

“I think the way the snow was plowed on campus could’ve been handled better,” said Skylar Herrick, a junior at UNK majoring in communication disorders. “In many of the parking lots there are large snow piles that can cause larger vehicles to not be able to turn. I’ve seen cars get stuck and lose control many times on campus.”

Students have been experiencing the parking crisis on campus for quite some time, and this year’s weather conditions do not seem to be helping the ever-growing issue. 

“I’ve always found it hard to park on campus even with a parking pass,” Pablo said. “I have to leave for class thirty minutes early to make sure I can find a parking spot and to give myself enough time to navigate the icy sidewalks.”

Though there have still been complaints with this year’s road maintenance around campus, there have been a few appraisals. 

“I’ve definitely seen an improvement this year,” Herrick said. “I think once the students and faculty began voicing their concerns through social media, emails, etc.. I believe it was brought to the university’s attention that something needed to be done.”

With more snow and sub-zero temperatures impacting student life, harsh conditions will continue to be a challenge for students and the university in the near future.