By John Rogan
From professors to commuters, road conditions are vitally important for the Saint Vincent community to consider, especially given how unpredictable the recent weather has been in Latrobe. In January and February 2020, Weather Underground reported a high of 73° Fahrenheit and a low of 0° in the area, with wind speeds also reaching highs of 31 miles per hour.
To counteract the weather's worst, members of the administrative staff hold a call to assess the current weather conditions and forecast there are calls for severe weather, senior director of Marketing and Communications Michael Hustava stated.
“Based on that call, decisions regarding any necessary schedule changes or campus closures are made,” he explained.
"It is a major task to keep all areas of campus clear, and everyone’s cooperation and patience is appreciated during those days." - Michael Hustava
Hustava said that when severe weather is anticipated overnight, the call takes place very early in the morning. If severe weather begins during the daytime/work day, the call takes place at that time. If a decision is made to alter the class schedule and/or close campus, the notification is sent out as quickly as possible.
“FMO is in charge of snow removal and works as quickly as possible to keep campus clear when severe winter weather arrives,” said Hustava.
According to Hustava, this includes keeping roadways and sidewalks safe and navigable, often while snow continues to fall.
“It is a major task to keep all areas of campus clear, and everyone’s cooperation and patience is appreciated during those days,” Hustava stated.
“A lot of commuters have a decent hull to make,” said one commuter, stating that student drivers face risks when driving on certain snowy days.