Emily Beck, Staff Writer

On Friday, Feb. 7, Utica College canceled all classes after 12:30 p.m as snow began to accumulate in the morning. According to local weather stations, snowfall measurements were approximately two feet. As a result, almost all of Central New York was in a winter storm watch that day. 

Some students were disappointed by how late the snowday was announced.   Meanwhile, many professors said a good number of students did not show up for the morning classes due to the messy weather. Students believed that the snow day should have been announced earlier because of the struggles commuters might have faced arriving on campus. 

Junior physical therapy major Jake Barlett utilized his free afternoon to conquer homework assignments at the library. 

After concentrating on assignments Barlett decided to use the rest of the day to relax. 

“I watched Netflix with my roommates and cooked a nice dinner for myself,” Barlett said. “I relaxed and recovered so I could feel optimal and ready for the next week of classes.” 

Similar to Barlett, some students used the day off from school as a way to catch up on work or relax and mentally regroup. 

Junior Rory O’Connor said he went to Labrador mountain on his snow day as he expected classes to be canceled the next day because of the snow.

“The snow was perfect for the occasion and we had so much fun,” he said.

Campus Safety Director Musco Millner sent a campus-wide email regarding safety precautions during the storm and tips on surviving the cold. Additionally, Millner added the progression of the weather throughout the day, from snow to freezing rain.  

In addition to precipitation changes, temperatures dropped drastically. 

  “Utica College is monitoring the weather closely,” Millner said. “As always when winter weather occurs, please prepare for and use caution when walking and/or driving on campus.”

Director of Facilities Daniel Bollana also provided information on snow removal procedures and how students are kept safe on campus.

 “We have limited manning for the three shifts, 24/7 support,” Bollana said. “When the weather gets really bad, we will call in some maintenance personnel to assist the grounds crew with snow removal.”

However, it might be hard for the crew to manage the snow during the day on campus as parking lots are filled and roads are being used. 

“It is difficult to run heavy equipment through for fear of damaging vehicles or risking people’s safety,” Bollana said. “After snow events we try to work with SLCE to vacate parking lots so we can clear them and push back snow banks that may impede visibility of full use of lots.”