BY BROOKE JOHNPIER, STAFF WRITER
Students at St. Bonaventure University have expressed concerns over the upkeep of walkways on campus. Facilities said all roads and walkways are clear.
Amaya Zinkovitch, a freshman adolescence education major, noticed multiple problems with the upkeep of campus during the winter.
“The residence halls aren’t as dry as I would like them to be, and I’ve slipped multiple times,” Zinkovitch said. “My friends have [also] suffered bad injuries from the sidewalks not being salted.”
Emma Spadoni, a sophomore communication, social justice and advocacy major, hasn’t had any issues with the campus during winter.
“Whenever I walk in my hall, I am greeted by the warm air as a refreshment from the cold,” said Spadoni. “The only thing I would fix is to make sure there is no ice on the ground when walking to class because I have noticed some people slipping around.”
James Rumschlag, a senior history major, is concerned with the safety of students when walking around campus.
“[An] issue I’ve noticed [is] the pathways are not typically cleaned through the day, nor have salt laid down,” said Rumschlag. “So when people are walking, they are more likely to slip and fall and potentially get hurt.”
Although Spadoni, Zinkovitch and Rumschlag have all noticed issues with campus being kept up during winter, Jared Smith, director of facilities operations, doesn’t agree with student complaints.
“Facilities’ staff takes care of campus seven days a week,” said Smith. “On nights and weekends, we work with security when determining if crews need to come in on off-hours. Whenever the roads or sidewalks are determined unsafe, staff will work, regardless if it’s a weekend or not.”
Smith continued by saying that six to ten people are actively working on campus to ensure the safety of the students.
When it comes to conditions that aren’t focused on winter, Smith says that facilities workers are always out.
“The grounds crew also works every Saturday and Sunday morning,” said Smith. “[The crews] pick up garbage and empty cans all over campus every weekend before the students are even awake.”
Steven Stutz, a senior marketing and psychology double major, also believes the lack of upkeep lies elsewhere, such as the parking lots.
“The potholes on campus are getting a little out of hand, especially near the Plassmann parking lot,” said Stutz. “I feel as though they have been there since I was a freshman.”
Facilities can’t do much during any season when the lots are full, according to Smith.
“Once the parking lots open up, then the crews will work on them,” said Smith.
Smith reassured the Bonaventure community that campus is constantly maintained, even on weekends.
“All campus roads are plowed and salted,” said Smith. “All sidewalks, trails, building entrances and stairs are treated with snow melt. We have around seven different machines used to clear snow on campus.”
johnpibl23@bonaventure.edu
