When IU freshman Keira Schwartz walked to class this week, she found herself stuck in single-file lines on partially cleared sidewalks, shuffling through piles of snow whenever someone passed from the opposite direction.
“I was getting myself dirty just to get to class,” Shwartz said.
Schwartz navigated these conditions after Winter Storm Fern dropped about 14 inches of snow on Bloomington earlier this week.
On Jan. 29, IU Student Government announced shovels would be available for checkout at residence halls.
The announcement, sent in a mass email from IUSG’s Student Body President, Student Body Vice President and Chief of Staff, explained to students that IU Facilities had placed shovels at all residence halls “to assist you all in navigating sidewalks, entry points, and your vehicles.”
Schwartz said at her residence hall, students lined up to borrow shovels, which were available for two-hour periods from the main desk.
“It’s only one person at a time who can rent it,” Shwartz said. “I wanted to use the shovel, and five people were in line to wait.”
IUSG did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Indiana Daily Student.
Screenshots of the email accumulated over 2 million views on X and dominated the discussions on the Bloomington and IU community subreddits, with comments questioning if students were being asked to clear their own paths.
University spokesperson Mark Bode stated the shovels are meant for students digging out personal vehicles in parking lots.
“Over the past week, IU Facilities has worked tirelessly to clear the 55 miles of sidewalks, 809 sets of stairs, 20 miles of roadway, and 214 parking lots on the Bloomington campus after a 14.5-inch snowfall,” Bode said in an email. “Beyond this campus-wide effort, shovels are available for students who need assistance digging out their personal vehicles.”
For many students, the clearing efforts fell short. Shwartz said the university should have extended limited operations on campus beyond Monday.
“I think we should have had at least a week off,” she said. “Being that IU doesn’t have a lot of resources, such as salt or plows that can be exerted out fast enough, I think it would have been safe enough to cancel class.”
Sophomore Heremela Abraham echoed similar concerns, questioning why students were being asked to help.
“This university has the funding to just give more people jobs,” Abraham said. “Our tuition is expensive all around, I think our money isn’t being spread around correctly.”
Professor Deborah Cohn said her initial reaction was “laughter, disbelief and liability.” She said her criticism isn’t directed at IU Facilities employees, who oversaw the snow removal, but at the administration.
“Upper administration needs to have expanded the capacity to do the work and or communicated better,” Cohn said. “Their action or their inaction was putting people at risk.”
Bode said that given the severity of Winter Storm Fern, snow removal “remains an ongoing process,” with IU Facilities prioritizing emergency road access, followed by ADA curbs and primary and secondary sidewalks.
In the email, Student Government leaders encouraged students to contact professors or event coordinators if conditions kept them from attending class safely and to contact them about snow-related concerns at iusgexec@iu.edu.
“We are actively working to help ensure campus conditions remain as safe as possible over the next few days,” they wrote. “We are here to help and will do everything we can to assist you.”
