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Midweek Melting?

by Betsy Chapman

In this Issue:

  • Tomorrow’s operational status
  • Modified shuttle service to Target tomorrow (Thurs.)
  • Wake Alert re: scooter thefts
  • Flu on campus

Happy midweek to all. I was talking to my students in my COM class last night (as we met virtually) to see how they were doing given all the winter weather adjustments. My sense is that students on campus are generally fine, but eager for things to get back to normal.

I suspect that most on-campus residents might not have ventured off campus since the snow hit. I told them the plowing and snow removal on campus is great, whereas nearly all the neighborhoods and side streets I know of off campus are still terrible.

I live 3 miles from campus – a 7 minute drive if I make all the lights. These pictures are from my front steps today: it is 3+ inches of packed down snow and sleet with a layer of ice on top. If you try to shovel this in the traditional way, the shovel does not move. Really what you have to do is take a garden spade and stab down like you are trying to dig a hole, hoping to crack the top layer of ice somewhere. Once you get an edge loose, you can pry a big section off (or pour some boiling water on it to get started, which is what I did). See these pics below from my house.

3+ inches of packed down snow with a compressed layer of sleet on top. not fun this is how thick the snow and ice blocks are giant chunks of compressed snow and sleet thick snow and ice

My husband has a giant Jeep and the weight of the Jeep barely dented the surface as he drove to work this morning. I nearly slid off my sidewalk trying to get these pictures, because the top layer of my walkway and yard are so icy, you can’t get traction anywhere.

All that to say while campus roads are in remarkably good shape, our faculty, staff, and off-campus students are living in places where there is this kind of ice, which makes it impossible to navigate. Today our high temp was 35 and it was sunny, which will help some, I hope. But it will not get rid of all this snow and ice today.

Which leads me right into our first topic of the day….

Tomorrow’s operational status

We got a Wake Alert message this afternoon saying that “On Thursday, Jan. 29, Wake Forest will be open for remote learning and remote work. While in-person classes will not be held in Winston-Salem, virtual classes, remote learning and remote work will take place.” 

The message also said “While campus conditions are good, road conditions across the area vary. State and local officials report delays in treating secondary roads and neighborhoods due to the prevalence of ice and extremely low overnight temperatures. Emergency responders report delayed response times due to poor road conditions and traffic accidents.“

Just to add a little color to that paragraph above, I was in a Zoom meeting today and one of the participants said a car had slid off the road and into a neighbor’s house. I grew up in PA and know how to drive in snow. Ice is different. Thank you for your continued patience and understanding of our circumstances off campus.

Modified shuttle service to Target tomorrow (Thurs.)

Transportation and Parking Services have announced that they will do a modified shuttle service to Target tomorrow (Thurs.) If students are in need of a Target run, this is an option for them.

Wake Alert re: scooter thefts

A Wake Alert message went out this morning about electric scooter thefts. It begins: “University Police are investigating three electric scooter thefts that occurred over the weekend near Manchester Plaza. A surveillance video captured the suspect’s image, but the suspect has not been identified.”

You can read the full message and see a picture of the suspect.

Flu on campus

Last but not least, I have heard some chatter amongst our students that the flu is going around. I hate the flu with a white hot passion, and as a mom to a college kid, I definitely don’t want mine to get the flu. We have info on the Deacon Health website for upper respiratory illness that might be helpful. The good news is that most healthy college students can recover from upper respiratory illnesses with rest and self-care treatments. 

Since it is cold and people are staying inside (and in close quarters), it is a great reminder that students should be practicing good handwashing, cleaning their rooms with appropriate disinfectant if they/their roommate is sick, etc. (the University cleans high touch surfaces in public spaces, but students clean their own rooms).

To all of you who are in warmer places, please send the warmth our way!

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