Winter weather: just the facts

Tips, advice for the winter weather

With several inches of snowfall and hazardous weather conditions, there can be many questions racing through someone’s mind. How can I get my car unstuck on campus, or where can I park my car? We spoke with a few UI officials and the Moscow Police Department to give you answers to those questions and tips and advice for the winter weather. 

• Carry a shovel in your car and have proper ice and snow scrapers.
• Planning ahead: knowing you might not be able to park in the same spot you usually do. Think about taking different transportation options like public transportation or walking. 
• Don’t rush anywhere, and make sure to be mindful of those around you.
• Get YakTraxs or something similar to make walking more accessible and safer.
• If you are traveling, make sure to have blankets and non-perishable food in your car
• Check road conditions for Idaho or any other states you are traveling to. 
• Carpooling is a good alternative to make sure someone is with you or using public transportation.
• Make sure that your car is worthy of being on the road, from your tire treads to having snow tires. 
• Clear off all the windows on your car. The police can stop you for having an obstructed view.
• If needed, let your vehicle run for a bit in the morning to defrost
• Expect vehicles might be unable to stop for you due to slippery roads

Q&A with UI officials and Moscow Police Department

Q&A with Blaine Eckles, the Vice Provost for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, on winter weather scenarios for University of Idaho students, faculty and staff. 

If a student is unable to make it to class, how can they make sure they do not get behind?

Eckles said to reach out to their professors or faculty directly, as students can look up their faculty through the department website or the campus directory. 

Copy the department chair on any emails, in case the faculty member is unable to respond immediately. 

“I think they’ll find very sympathetic ears this time of year, in particular, given the road conditions and safety concerns that we all have for our students.” 

Eckles sent out a letter on Friday, Jan. 10 to students, faculty and staff addressing the weather conditions for the start of school. He said a part of the letter was addressed to faculty to work with those delayed students.

If faculty are unable to make it to class, what can students do?

Eckles said if a faculty member is unable to make it to class, they should reach out to students in a similar manner, as students should reach out to faculty. He said students should make sure to check their VandalMail, and just because a class is canceled doesn’t mean all students’ courses will be. 

Is there an official attendance policy this week? 

The university has no official attendance policy this week to allow for the winter weather delays, but Eckles said faculty are asked to take into consideration weather this week. According to the typical protocol if a student misses the first week of class, without communication, they would be dropped from the course. But Eckles said he is asking faculty to not automatically drop students. 

“Some folks are very strict rule followers, and they just need to be reminded ‘Yep, you can  hold off on doing that until we get it in place,’” Eckles said. “Beacuse we don’t know what the weather or road conditions are like and people come from all over it’s really hard for us to say, you have to accommodate someone.” 

What can students with disabilities do who can’t make it to class or may have trouble? 

Students or faculty and staff with disabilities, long-term or short, can use the Vandal Access service for transportation to campus locations. 

“The shuttle is not designed to go on a loop, it’s actually designed to be portal to portal,” Eckles said. “So a student can call and say, ‘Hey I’m at the library and I need to be picked up’ and then they arrange with the shuttle driver where they’re going to be picked up.” 

Eckles said students with disabilities are usually aware of how diligently facilities are working to clear snow. And he said accessible parking spaces are some of the first spots to be cleared and are priority clearance. 

“If ever, a student is running into an issue, whether they’re a student with a disability or otherwise, direct communication with faculty is going to be key,” Eckles said. “They can always reach out to our office, we’ll help and support them, but what we want to do is facilitate the communication between the student and the faculty.”

Due to everything going on with UI’s budget and the possibility of outsourcing facilities, has there been any slow down with facilities and snow removal or other issues? 

Eckles said he doesn’t have an answer to this, as it does not fall within his professional area. But he said personally he hasn’t noticed any impact on facilities. 

“You can see all the snow that has been accumulated, and they’ve been out clearing. And I have not seen any impacts on what that looks like nor have I heard.” 

Are there any thoughts on campus closure? And what calls for campus to be closed? 

There is usually a big push for the campus to close due to weather conditions. But, Eckles said campus only closes when there is significant safety conditions for both campus and the community. 

“Part of it is kind of, it is how students are raised in the K-12 system. Students are used to snow days,” Eckles said. “Universities don’t have snow days.” 

Eckles said UI’s campus is usually accessible, but what isn’t as accessible is the surrounding city, with it being a much larger area to clear. And as a majority of students live on campus, they are within walking distance of campus.

Another factor Eckles said he personally considers is the high amount of student employees on campus. When the campus is closed, those students lose out on income along with hourly or part-time staff.

“Everybody would love a free day off — I’m not going to deny that — But this is North Idaho, we have snow, and part of being a responsible adult was learning how to navigate through that in a responsible way,” Eckles said.

Q&A with Rebecca Couch, Director of Parking and Transportation Services, and 

Robert Mitchell, Information Specialist for Parking and Transportation Services, on winter weather transportation scenarios for University of Idaho students, faculty, staff and anyone who commutes to UI’s campus. 

If someone gets stuck on campus due to the snow or weather, what can they do? 

Crouch said UI’s PIT Crew service can help anyone stuck on campus, and they can call and ask for assistance anytime between 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.

“They can call us. We can help by providing a shovel, providing sand for traction and sometimes we give them assistance getting their car unstuck as well.

Mitchell added that they have to be with their vehicle. 

The PIT Crew offers other services from jump starts, flat tire assistance, a can for gasoline and vehicle unlocks if the weather is not too cold, to avoid breaking the window. 

If students who overnight park are unable to find a spot to park due to snow coverage, what can they do? 

The general rule, Crouch said, is that students need to park legally and find the next available lot.  

“So purple lots, the Greek students, they’re going to find that if there’s not a single space in a purple lot because of snow taking some of the availability, there is always up on Nez Perce drive,” Crouch said. “And it’s not perhaps where they want it, but it is going to be the next closest permit area.” 

Mitchell said to reach out to the Transportation center, as they might be aware of a closer lot that some students may not have thought of. 

If someone finds their car stuck in a non-overnight spot, but it is late at night, and they have no other option, what can they do?

Crouch said if someone does find themselves in this situation, they should reach out to the transportation center. 

“The best thing to do is call us and leave us a voicemail, even if it’s a two o’clock in the morning or send us an email [email protected] because then it will be forgiven,” Crouch said. 

Q&A with Moscow police officer Eric Warner on winter weather scenarios for those affected by the abundant snowfall. 

What is the Moscow Police Department’s role in the winter weather and working with the city? 

Warner said the city is responsible for clearing and removing snow, but they do respond to traffic control issues that are immediate. 

“Usually we respond to traffic control and areas where there is a specific like a crash, or if there is a specific hazard above and beyond normal snowfall on the ground,” Warner said. 

If someone gets stuck in a more dangerous situation, what can be done? 

The police department would have a quick response to any situations where a vehicle was causing immediate and dangerous conditions. 

“We’d obviously control the scene, make sure that no additional harm happens, interview witnesses if there’s a crash and take a crash report if necessary.”

If someone’s car gets stuck outside of their residential home, what help can be provided? 

Warner said the police department does also respond for citizens assist if someone is stuck in a more residential or non-dangerous area. 

“Sometimes somebody just does get stuck. We’ll help by calling a tow truck or if we can push them out or unbury them, dig them out,” Warner said. “We’ll just do what we can physically and legally.” 

Has there been a spike in weather-related accidents? 

When there is an extreme amount of snowfall, there are crashes due to the weather Warner said. 

“A lot of the weather-related crashes that I see can be prevented through basic driver’s ed,” Warner said. “Increase your following distance, slow down, gauge how well your vehicle stops, and then respond accordingly by increasing your following distance or by slowing down.

Alex Brizee can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @alex_brizee.