Walking Across Campus may be Hazardous to Your Health!

I'm sure you've noticed that winter in Plymouth is a little whiter this year than last, and it's still early February. As last year proved, winter in northern New Hampshire can last well into April (or, in last year's case, May... snow on Graduation Day? That's Plymouth for you...) so many of us have learned to prepare for storm after storm here at lovely PSC.

Or have we...?

Compared to last year, we've gotten quite a bit more snowfall thus far, and it's a guarantee that there is more on the way. Unfortunately, due to the increase in precipitation, the snow and ice removal on campus walkways has fallen well below any acceptable standard. There are easily three or more inches of snow, ice and/or slush on nearly every campus walkway, and this has already proven to be a safety hazard.

This past Saturday, I was walking from my room in Hall Residence Hall towards the other side of campus, deciding to stop at the dumpster next to Blair Hall to dispose of my trash on the way. Directly in front of Blair, I was unfortunate enough to get my foot wedged in a "ditch" in the ice/snow mixture, and was thrown off balance. In my attempt to rebalance myself, my lower back was twisted in an unnatural way. A friend of mine brought me to Speare Memorial Hospital, only to be told I had severely sprained two of my lumbar vertebrae (L4 and L5) and that I should expect to be on crutches from one to three weeks. I have also been limited to my physical activity, not being allowed to do anything strenuous for six weeks. I spent the rest of Saturday and Sunday in bed, unable to move unless absolutely necessary. I also discovered on Monday that getting to and from classes for the next few weeks is going to be difficult.

Why is it difficult? As if walking on only two feet over the slush mixture isn't bad enough, try adding crutches into the mix. It now takes me ten minutes to walk what is usually a three-minute walk, because I have to look before putting either of my crutches down, to avoid slipping yet AGAIN and, worst-case scenario, potentially paralyzing myself.

I do understand that the school maintenance crew may not be as well staffed as in past years, but the amount of snow and ice that remains on the walkways even after they have "removed it" is a safety hazard. The loose slush can easily be shoved aside. Breaking up the sheets of ice is only a matter of having ice choppers (which are under $20 each). Sand is no longer enough for students to be safe. The PSC physical plant needs to devise a plan to get the excess snow and slush off of the walkways. Perhaps they need to hire some more maintenance workers, or reassign some current workers to do snow removal. Regardless of their plan of action, this situation needs to be acknowledged and changed if the school wants to avoid a potential lawsuit from a student who may be more severely injured than myself.

The students of Plymouth State College are not asking to be given a miraculous early spring, but rather a safer and less hazardous winter.

-Nicole LaJeunesse535-5564n_lajeunesse@mail.plymouth.edu