With the recent weather conditions on campus, officials have taken steps to ensure students’ safety and make sure they can traverse from one section of campus to another.
Assistant Director of Community Living Katherine Bain said students can combat weather challenges on campus by keeping their windows shut and paying attention to their thermostat settings.
“The best thing that we can do right now is keep the buildings warm so we’re not getting in a position where pipes are freezing,” Bain said.
Bain described one incident a few years ago when a pipe in the lobby at The Commons leaked water because of the cold conditions, but she added that such an issue was an “anomaly.”
Bain also provided some insight into what has been done to educate students on keeping themselves safe in the weather.
“Keene State also has a safety committee and one of the programs that they put on recently is Walk Like a Penguin to encourage students to be a little more cautious when they’re walking on campus, making sure small steps are being taken,” she said.
Joe Britton, supervisor for grounds, clarified why the school cancels operations during the storms.
“Oftentimes we curtail operations or close the school, not just because of walking conditions on campus, but it’s more so road conditions,” Britton said. “Most of our students are residential. There are students, faculty and staff that live way outside the area, though.”
On Jan. 30, Britton and his crew cleared the Winchester Lot to make sure people could get their cars out of the spaces. Britton also shared advice on how students should handle the weather conditions.
“Operate within your means. If you don’t feel comfortable driving or walking, just stay in for a little bit,” Britton said.
He also cautioned about the plows and their schedules, pointing out how students could be unaware when they’re wearing headphones or being distracted by something that a plow is passing by.
Britton drew attention to the doorway salt buckets, saying the “dormitories are kinda your home” and that addressing a slippery spot is “protecting you and your peers.”
However, he noted Keene is facing a salt shortage at the moment, and that “we have cut back on our salt application because of that.” Besides, during extremely cold temperatures, he said the salt isn’t as effective on the sidewalks.
Britton said if students see any issues that need to be addressed they should let maintenance know, adding that he “never takes it as a criticism.”
Chloe Erno can be contacted at
