White Out

Walking in a winter wonderland was barely possible during the blizzard conditions that hit Boston College and the rest of the Northeast on Saturday afternoon. Snow fell continuously through the night and didn't stop until Sunday afternoon. Twenty-five inches of snow blanketed the campus, spurring the engines of snow plows and the sounds of shovels through the winter air.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney declared a state of emergency, advising citizens to stay indoors and off the roads for their own safety. The BC community, however, had other plans on how to spend their winter weekend in the winter's first blizzard.

Campus Maintenance

Snow began piling up significantly on Saturday night, resulting in large snow drifts and banks throughout campus. Facility Services, which is equipped with several snow blowers and plows, deployed its grounds crew to clear areas of campus for the safety of anyone who ventured outside.

Parking lots and roadways were cleared first, as well as entrances to residence and dining halls.

"Facilities has been on duty today all day and all night," said Sgt. John Derick of BCPD. "They will be on tonight as well. They are working as best as they can."

Trucks were brought in at 3 p.m. to haul snow off campus.

"I think the walkways were cleared pretty well," said Joe DiGiorgio, CSOM '08. "It was weird to see five feet of snow next to me, but the paths were almost clear."

Subzero temperatures have also been a concern due to the possibility of frozen water pipes. Vanderslice Hall had a frozen sprinkler in the basement that caused a small flood with little damage, said Derick.

Conte Forum, however, suffered heavier damages. The fourth floor was heavily flooded, damaging many athletic offices.

All parking was limited to the Commonwealth Avenue and Beacon Street garages to allow the grounds crew to maintain the parking lots.

Snow Activities

Pushing snow to the side resulted in large snow drifts, much to the amusement of BC students who took advantage of them to have snowball fights and makeshift sledding on trays from the dining halls, said Derick.

"There were some injuries last night because people were running around, sledding on trays, that sort of thing," he said. "People tend to head to the Plex roof on days like this, so that's always a cause for concern."

Derick said a female broke her ankle jumping off of the dugout on Shea Field into a snow bank.

Those who received injuries Friday night, including a student who broke his leg, were taken back to campus from St. Elizabeth's Hospital Sunday.

BCPD received several calls for escort services throughout the day and night because the BC shuttle was out of service.

Icy roads, however, prevented BCPD from responding to all the calls, only transporting those who needed medical assistance.

Many opted to stay inside rather than weather the windy conditions.

"I haven't been outside enough to really notice if it is dangerous," said Alexandra Bourque, A&S '07. "This is the first time I've been outside today."

Food Supply

Dining halls closed their doors early yesterday, serving dinner until 7 p.m. and cutting Late Night fare completely. Patricia Bando, vice president for auxiliary services said the early closing was due to the lack of staff available to operate all three main dining halls.

"The morning staff that we had for dining services came in the morning, but the afternoon staff wasn't able to come in due to the road conditions," said Bando. "We knew that the morning team would be exhausted, so we decided to stay open through dinner. Late Night became secondary to that."

All three main dining halls - McElroy Commons, Corcoran Commons, and Stuart Dining Hall - will open for breakfast at their usual times today. Bando does not anticipate that other dining facilities such as Hillside Café and the Rat will be available for service.

Shortened dining hours left many students with few alternatives for satisfying their late night cravings.

"There's nothing we can do about it, but it's terrible that there's no way to get food after seven tonight," said DiGiorgio.

Despite the lack of dining services, students coped with the situation knowing that BC employees had to make it home safely as well.

"I think it's fair that they close early," said Amanda Iles, A&S '08. "The employees need a safe time to get home."

Long lines formed around closing time as students stocked up on beverages and snacks to last them throughout the night. Bando said auxiliary services had anticipated the blizzard and had stocked up on supplies earlier in the week.

"We always have enough food to take us through three days," she said.

The Day After

Academic Vice President Dr. Jack Neuhauser told The Heights that all classes starting before noon would be cancelled today to ensure safe transportation for all BC students, faculty, and staff.

"The delayed opening is to make sure that the sidewalks and roadways can get cleaned up," said Neuhauser. "We would not want anyone to travel during rush hour."