Spring snow pounds Hudson Valley

Tyler McNeil
Managing Editor

Out-of-season Winter Storm Ursula did not alter Hudson Valley’s schedule last week.
“I was in shock this morning,” Vanessa Hansen, liberal arts student, who spent part of her morning struggling to get to campus.
Getting off Exit 7E from I-787 last Monday morning less than two miles away from Hudson Valley, Hansen lost control of her car in the snow. She hit a guardrail on the left side of the road, scraping her bumper.
Despite the five inches of snow that piled up around campus, creating barriers for students such as Hansen to get to campus, Hudson Valley remained open throughout the day.
The Physical Plant was watching the storm for about three days. When snow started to fall early in the morning, around 4 a.m., salters hit the campus. Later in the morning, plows from the physical plant and private services started plowing snow.
Rachel Little, individual studies student, noticed the snowfall surpass early morning plowing while struggling to park.
“I had to try to see the barely visible white lines because I want to make sure I’m parking correctly, but it’s hard to tell,” she said.
With the lowest snowfall last season in recorded Capital Region history, Little and other students have not faced difficulties parking in the snow since last year. Due to a lack of snow, last season, the Physical Plant previously saved $72,000 this year. In the last academic year, the college spent $95,000 on snow and ice removal.
Despite lack of winter weather on campus, the Physical Plant did not put away any of their winter equipment or remove their plows.
Unlike the Physical Plant, Jack Klemke, individual studies student, was not ready for winter weather. After taking a snow plow off his truck, Klemke was going to change his out his snow tires this week. He didn’t expect winter weather to alter his commute from Greene County in April.
“The main issue with it was that it was the first week of April and were getting it now whereas all winter, there wasn’t anything. So when you least expect it, it’s better to be prepared for it,” he said.
Hearing about her friend getting rear-ended on the way to school, Brooklyn Vanhattan, individual studies student, was not willing to prepared to leave earlier than she originally expected despite no collegewide cancellations. Although Monday is her busiest class day, Vanhattan called to get picked up four hours before her classes ended, stating that she believed it would create an unsafe driving situation.
Although snow drove Vannattan off of campus, the conditions didn’t halt stop Xavier Middleton, accounting student from staying on campus to play football in the campus lawn with Derrick Wilson, physical education student.
“We do it in the rain. We do it when there’s mud. We do it everyday,” he said.