The bitter cold that greeted students upon their return back to campus was just nippy in comparison to the massive winter storm that tore through Oberlin earlier this week, prompting the College to shut down operations for half of Tuesday and all of Wednesday.

“[This] doesn’t happen often,” said Diana Roose, assistant to President Nancy Dye. “I can remember one other time, perhaps ten years ago, when the College closed because of a heavy ice storm that made travel, even walking, virtually impossible.”

Associate Director of Facilities and Custodial Services Keith Watkins added, “Two years ago on the very last day of the fall semester, there was the same amount of snow and wind, but since most of the students had already left campus, the scenario wasn’t the same as it was this week.”

At around 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Oberlin faculty, staff and students received an e-mail alert from Dye’s Administrative Assistant Linda Losneck with the simple message, “Due to the severity of the weather, the President has closed the College for the remainder of the day.” People were quick to respond: all administrative offices and libraries shut down almost immediately, sending staff scurrying home and packs of students flooding the snowy paths.

At around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, as conditions worsened, Roose sent an e-mail announcing that the College would remain closed on Wednesday.  And indeed, the snow continued to fall. Weather reports stated that the downpour may have accumulated up to two inches per hour, and by Wednesday morning snowdrifts reached anywhere from one to four feet high.

It should be noted that, despite mighty winds and below-freezing temperatures, Obies still delighted in building igloos, throwing snowballs and downright marveling at how far their legs extended into the snow. But while students enjoyed the rare snow day, the grounds employees worked hard to remove the snow from paths and roads.

Unlike the other offices on campus that remained closed through Wednesday, “the whole grounds staff remained on campus; no one went home,” said Watkins. “They all worked to remove the snow until the end of their shifts. Then we made arrangements for them to come back at 3 a.m. to continue working until 3:30 p.m.”

Watkins also said that additional facilities employees were offered overtime hours to shovel snow. Another crew that worked to clear the sidewalks was made up of outside contractors responsible for maintaining the College-owned houses and apartments.

While Director of Safety and Security Robert Jones could not be reached for comment, Roose and Watkins seemed confident that the snow day proceeded with no major complications or emergencies.

“Things were a bit hectic at first, when some people called to ask if all classes were cancelled, and what would happen to the evening convocation [which has been postponed],” Roose said. “Since the weather reports all confirmed that the storm would not be over until at least mid-day on Wednesday, President Dye chose to make [the] decision [to close the College] early so that everyone would know what to expect. Since then, I believe things have run relatively smoothly.”

Watkins emphasized that any hurdles his team confronted were due to mother nature.

“The wind was so strong that it kept blowing snow back into entryways, and the snow kept on falling all through the night,” he explained. “It got to the point when we were saying, ‘Why waste time and man power and money if we’re going to have to turn around and do it all over again?

“It was definitely a nuisance, and unusual,” Watkins said, “But as far as being ready, we were.” He added that the grounds employees were in regular communication with handicapped and injured students on campus, so that extra special attention would be given to clearing the routes these students take to class.

As far as the costs of the snow-clearing efforts, Watkins said it was too early to tell for sure.

“It’s hard to put a dollar figure on it at this point. If we look at it in terms of total man hours spent, we’re close to 300 hours in a day and a half,” he said, “and we’re still not done yet.  Plus, we then have to calculate all the equipment, contracted landscapers and so on.”

Despite the snow that still lines the streets in mounds and in some places untouched blankets, Watkins expressed his pride in the work the crews have done in the past couple of days.

“Walking around campus, I am amazed at what the grounds people were able to do.”