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By Adam Gelman
gelmana@findlay.edu
From cold weather to snow, this winter was jam packed with weather problems, even closing the University of Findlay for two days. While a few spring-like days have popped up recently, so have winter-like days.
There were some brutally cold days this winter, but none were colder in Findlay than Jan. 31, which according to Weather Underground, is when the temperature went down to -6 degrees at 4:53 a.m. The max temperature on that day was 15 degrees.
The harsh conditions posed significant challenges for students. Freshman Jordan Cook, a campus resident, says walking to class in those temperatures is difficult.
“When walking outside in the winter, the hardest thing is probably the cold, like, I mean, you can still layer up, but I mean, it’s just so cold, like the cold weather on your face. It just hurts,” Cook said. “I think it does cause a little issue just because people can slip on the ice and then the snow, it’s just so cold outside. It’s just hard to walk when it’s cold, and I know some people have those scooters and they ride them to class, and I mean, you can’t really ride the scooters in the snow, so you have to walk.”
Commuting student Billy Smith says he has to work around a different set of issues.
“It’ll definitely make you less motivated to even leave your house. Sometimes through the snowstorm, since I’m so far away from my classes, it’ll motivate me more to just skip class or text a professor if I can’t make it or something, but I mean obviously as a student-athlete, you can’t really get away with that, so you just gotta suck it up and get up early, and it’s definitely not as good. I hate ruining my shoes, getting them all soaking wet, so I just wear boots,” Smith said. “I have to wake up a little bit earlier so I can start my car a little early so my car isn’t freezing by the time I get in it.”
If the weather gets bad, but you still have to drive, Alexander Davis, instructor of communication and teaching at UF, stresses that it’s important to drive slowly, without being in a rush. It’s also important to him to be ready for emergencies.
“I think whether you have some type of backup mini generator or even on the smaller side have portable chargers and have them charged up and have flashlights and batteries,” Davis said.
