How recent snowstorms affected UMD’s campus

The recent snowstorms have taken a toll on UMD and the city of Duluth. Snow removal has been an issue lately. I took a walk around campus to try to document this. What should be an easy stroll around campus, turned into a balancing act. I was constantly climbing through snow and slush, trying not to fall. So, I pulled together a series of photos showing how the snow can make life difficult on campus.

This sidewalk near campus, on West Saint Marie Street, is still covered in snow, making it hard for students who walk to school.

As I continue up W Saint Marie Street, getting closer to campus, the sidewalks get better but are still covered in slush and ice. Walking uphill on ice and slush isn’t the easiest task.

I turn down Maplewood Court, officially on campus, the trek continues to get worse. Here students have to walk on the street because of the construction going on. Walking on the street is dangerous and not ideal, especially when class is in session. Having a mass amount of students walking on the street is not safe.

I continued up towards the residential Green Lot parking area. The parking spots never get plowed so the parking situation gets dire. Because of the snow people tend to park in crazy ways, like this car is parked on the curb.

 I continue deeper into campus you can see this parking lot in front of Heaney Hall is the worst of it. Many cars are plowed in, and the parking lot itself is never plowed.

This sidewalk between Heaney Hall and Health Services is one of the main walkways to class for students who live in the on-campus apartments. Even though many students use this walkway daily, it is covered in snow and constantly slippery. The walkway is downhill and continues to get steeper, which makes walking to class more difficult than it needs to be.

The plowing situation is a situation that can be easily fixed. I understand it takes time for the snow to be cleared, but I feel the process of doing so is very unorganized. We experience snow like this almost every year, UMD needs to think of an organized plan for snow removal. The constant slippery conditions of the campus have made it difficult for students to get to class. Duluth is supposed to be a disability accessible campus, and with the lack of snow removal, it’s not. Students could get injured and UMD should be concerned about that.