If there is one thing that makes going to school in Vermont unique, it is that almost nothing, not even a foot of snow, can stop students and professors from going to class. Last Sunday and Monday, Middlebury received over 12 inches of snow, but students and community members still needed to eat, attend class and commute to work. Staff members are the force behind the curtain that allow Middlebury to carry out its typical routines even in the wake of a major snowstorm.
Behind the Facilities Services building, a fleet of snowblowers, shovels and Gators wait for battle. Luther Tenny, the director of Facilities Services for the college, let The Campus in on the logistics.
“One plow operator has a set of buildings that they’re responsible for. They plow the same thing storm after storm, that way they know where the fire hydrants are, how to plow the snow so it’s not blocking entry into parking lots, that sort of thing,” Tenny said.
Tenny estimated that about 300 tons of salt are used on the streets on campus each winter, in addition to several thousand tons in town.
The snow plowers weren’t the only staff members working overtime. Due to weather-related call-outs, Proctor Dining Hall needed to make some adjustments. The upper level was closed over the weekend to reduce the amount of necessary cleaning, and disposable plates and cutlery instead of ceramic dishes and metal silverware were used to lighten the load on the dish-cleaning staff.
Chris Laframboise, a dining services chef at Proctor Dining Hall, shared some strategies for keeping things moving while understaffed.
“If it was gonna be a sauté, we might steam it. If we were to grill something, that’s a body on the grill. But if we can bake it, that frees up a body that can do a little bit more stuff,” he said.
Laframboise recounted the commuting challenges of staff members coming to work during the harsh weather conditions.
“One of my bakers was driving in at five in the morning, and she got stranded in a snowbank for an hour. When you’re coming in that early, a lot of stuff isn’t plowed, and snowdrifts can be dangerous because you don’t know how deep or wide they are,” he said.
Despite the challenges, Tenny said that this winter is more typical for Vermont than the last few years have been.
“I grew up in Vermont, and I would say this is more of a historical average winter,” he said.
The more noticeable aspect of climate change, according to Tenny, is the frequent fluctuations. Freeze-thaw cycles have become more common throughout the season, as the temperatures are less stable.
“The biggest challenge we have is it warms up during the day, the sidewalks get wet, and then when the sun sets, those wet sidewalks freeze back over. That leads to very slippery conditions in the evenings,” he said.
After the storm, many students found their parking spaces and cars buried under the snow. Though using empty faculty spaces may seem like a quick fix, this can pose some issues and was a hot topic at the February faculty meeting.
Professor of Film and Media Studies and Faculty Council Chair Jason Mittell described the faculty’s concerns in an email to The Campus.
“Most faculty and staff drive to work, as we live too far to walk to campus, and many of us have kids to pick up from school or other commitments in the community – thus parking fairly close to our offices is important,” he wrote.
Tenny’s advice? Buy a shovel.
“In this storm, the biggest issue we had was students trying to pull out of parking spaces without shoveling their cars out first, and getting stuck halfway out,” Tenny said. “Once they get stuck partway, we can’t get a plow truck around them.”
Amidst the challenges of surviving in a bitter winter climate, cozy memories are made too. For a few cold mornings each year, Facilities Services workers gather together, eat and relax. Laframboise spoke about hosting the facilities crew for a warm Proctor breakfast.
“I was taking out garbage and I saw a whole army of them out there in the cold cleaning off the deck. That’s a brutal job. So, coming in and getting a nice hot breakfast, drink, whatever — that’s important. We’re all one community,” he said.
Editor’s Note: Professor of Film & Media Culture Jason Mittel is the faculty advisor of The Campus. He had no involvement in the publication of this article.
