In a way, the storms effectively created a campus-wide skating rink. This would have been truly excellent had I been equipped with ice skates, skis or the like. My snow boots, however, are lost somewhere in the realm that is my closet in Brooklyn. Thus I was left to wander around campus in moccasins, and my butt was black-and-blue for a week. (Keep in mind, I’m less graceful than your average Princetonian.)
Snow’s the best, but it’s also very dangerous. I still wonder how the plows managed to leave behind this solid coat of ice on nearly every path. This does not constitute snow removal. This constitutes snow relocation. In fact, the paths that were “plowed” were even icier and more slippery than the snow to the side of the path.
One evening during the battle against snow-obstacles, a friend and I were simultaneously taken down on a particularly icy hill somewhere in the Wilson College complex. We scrambled about on the ground for a bit, but it soon became abundantly clear that getting up was not an option. We resourcefully decided to slide down to the bottom of the hill instead. Needless to say, the snow is not doing much for my dignity.
But it wasn’t just me. I saw others going down left and right. Considering my inability to safely get anywhere both during and after the storm, I can’t even begin to fathom how our handicapped students were able to attend class or even get to the dining halls. If my own two legs couldn’t do it, it would be impossible on one leg and two crutches.
This snowstorm was perhaps on the more serious side as far as snowstorms go, but it was nothing the Northeast isn’t accustomed to. The University should have been able to clear the paths by at least the following day. Yet some paths remained covered in ice for the next three.
The snowstorm was not at all a surprise, thanks to modern meteorology. Preemptive salting and plowing through the night would have been very helpful. Entire pathways and stairs should not have been neglected. Though the added cost might have been significant, this is a price worth paying, not only to facilitate getting around campus, but to avoid potential lawsuits. Princeton is very liberal when supplying facilities, food and the like. In respect to snow salt, perhaps we’ve caught a glimpse of the University’s stingy underbelly.
In New York City, landlords are responsible for clearing the snow on the sidewalks in front of their property. The fine for failing to shovel the snow can amount to $100. Landlords, however, are fined additionally for other violations like obstructing the sidewalk. When added together, these fines can reach well into the thousands. By this logic, proportionate to the amount of paths that weren’t shoveled, the University would have been fined somewhere in the tens of thousands of dollars.
When I was younger, I used to hope that the plows would forget to plow the alley behind my house. When they did, I had an entire city block worth of untouched snow all to myself (that’s how I perfected my snow angel technique). Maybe in my old age, I’ve become cynical. I’ve adopted the old-lady opinion that snow ought to stay out of my way. It’s no longer igloo potential that excites me. I’m most excited about snow at Princeton because I don’t have to shovel it myself. Not having to shovel snow, however, is only a perk when you know it will eventually be done by someone else.
Monica Greco is a freshman from Brooklyn, N.Y. She can be reached at mgreco@princeton.edu.
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