Staff colaborates on snow removal

Students missed experiencing a rare snow day at IU.

Heavy snowfall in Bloomington caused IU to officially close campus Dec. 26.

“Over the last five years, you could probably count the number of snow days on my hand,” said Susan Williams, director of emergency communications services for IU Communications.

While Williams estimates roughly three  snow-related cancellations have occurred in the past five years, the process of determining whether streets and sidewalks are safe for students and faculty is a complex operation.

“The decision is not made in a vacuum,” Williams said. “It does us no good to tell people to come to work if the city and county has told people to stay off the roads.”

Along with consultation from emergency management workers for the City of Bloomington and Monroe County, the IU Emergency Management and Continuity staff uses weather forecasting data to predict severe weather.

If IUEMC determines a storm could require cancelling classes and closing campus, it discusses a plan of action several days in advance with a policy group, which includes the provost, president’s chief of staff and other IU administrative officials.

“We make these decisions early enough, so everyone will know,” Williams said.

Even if the entire campus is closed, certain IU employees Williams calls “essential personnel” are permitted to come to work, if they choose to. “Essential personnel” include IU Police Department officers, Residential Programs and Services employees  and researchers who monitor lab equipment, Williams said.

While IUEMC informs students and faculty of cancellations via email, phone, social media and messages on digital signs, the Campus Bus Service makes its own decisions regarding whether to operate.

“It’s a multi-faceted decision on the day-to-day operation of the bus service,” said Terry Maull, Campus Bus operations manager.

Though Maull maintains contact with IUEMC and the provost during times of severe weather, he must also consider advice from IUPD, the City of Bloomington and en-route bus drivers.

“(In) the middle of the day, the provost said classes were cancelled, and we continued to run the buses to get people back home,” Maull said. “We have to consider how the people who work at the University get home. It’s more than just ... the campus.”
Maull said buses are likely to run as soon as roads are safe and cleared, even if classes have been cancelled. 

Following unforgiving winter weather, however, IU Department of Physical Plant Campus Site and Landscape Services is responsible for clearing approximately 21 miles of campus streets, 52 miles of campus sidewalks and any school-affiliated parking lots or garages, according to their website. 

“We’re still working on that snow,” said Mike Girvin, manager of Campus Site and Landscape Services.

Following the storm on Dec. 26, Girvin said a team of  employees worked about 17 hours to clear roads and sidewalks.

“If school was in session, we would have gone non-stop,” Girvin said.

Because a snowstorm can hit any time of the day, Williams said IUEMC will continue to send out email updates to students and faculty with specific cancellation information.

“Perhaps we cancel classes from 8 a.m. to noon, then do a re-evaluation to see if it is safe to have later afternoon classes,” Williams said. “Based upon information that can vary from situation to situation, we might close it all day. We might close it until noon.”