Emily Curtsinger, TC Klusman, & Leada Felli-
Last week , the University of Louisville canceled classes three days and delayed them two as snow and dangerously cold temperatures socked the region.
“I was so excited when I found out that we were having a snow day,” says sophomore Leslie Shockley. “These days off gave me so much time to get caught up on schoolwork and sleep. I am really hoping we have more snow days this year.”
“Being a RA in Community Park, the snow days were crazy, to say the least,” says sophomore Megan Wurth. “When we found out that we were going to have a snow day, my residents went wild, and so we had to keep an extra eye out on them. Some were even running and yelling up and down the hallways.”
Although classes were not in session, some students spent the days studying.
STUDIOUS APPROACH
“The snow days were an absolute blessing,” says sophomore Maddie West. “We are at the point in the semester where all classes are piling together and there is so much work to be done. With the help of these snow days, I was able to study for midterm exams and finish lots of my homework.”
“My snow days were spent studying in my dorm room. I had so much homework to get done and decided to use the snow days to my advantage,” said freshman Katie Mittel.
Rachel Breit, nursing student, started her week off like she would any other: a quick workout. When asked if she did do anything special on her day off, she replied, “My boyfriend and I did donuts in an empty parking lot, so that was fun.” The rest of Breit’s day will consist of “homework and catching up on sleep.”
FUN APPROACH
Other students decided to embrace the cold and play in the snow.
“I play ice hockey for the University of Louisville, so some of my teammates and I decided to head over to the SRC soccer field to play some football on Monday night,” says junior Christopher Nelson-Fajnor. “Although we were freezing the entire time, it was so great to spend time with friends out in the snow.”
“My roommate and me went out in our front yard and built a snowman,” says junior Blair Dennison. “It was fun to take a break from school and play outside.”
JUST CHILLIN’ APPROACH
Some students spent the snow days relaxing at home.
“I love having time off of school, but I absolutely hate the snow and cold temperatures,” says junior Sydney Wininger. “My snow days were spent inside, hanging out with my dog, because my road was too dangerous to drive on. It is a nuisance not being able to drive anywhere, but I enjoyed the time relaxing.”
Those who work at hospitals, adults I, taking care of patients, or even lecturing in a classroom, had a complete different outlook on the storm.
Mike Perlin, a professor that works in the Biology department’s research lab looked at the positive and negative side of our frustrating weather conditions. “Well, I’d say that this weather, and the resulting closings at U of L have been frustrating. The loss of two classes, takes me back to playing ‘catch-up.’ On the other hand, when I was still able to go to campus, the break allowed me to get some work done in my lab that I might not have otherwise had time for. So, bottom line- I have mixed feelings about the current weather situation.”
Nursing director Becky McMahon who works at Norton Health Care then went on to explain the toll it took on the Oncology department. “It was difficult working during the snow storm because it was challenging getting all the chemo patients in for their treatments. In this area of the medical field we have to make sure there are enough employees coming in and committing to work, in order to treat all the patients that do make it into the office. There were several times I left to pick up employees and patients in order for them to arrive on time. Some employees stayed longer shifts when other staff members that lived further away couldn’t make it and other employees slept in the hospital just in case they couldn’t make it back. It’s been rough but it is something we expect to deal with in this field.”
Dr. Witt Jones, a gastrointestinal specialist, kept a surprisingly positive attitude about the situation. “Weather in the health care industry in general is something we deal with. We have to make it to work on time in the medical field. Most health care professionals make it a priority to beat rush hour in order to arrive on time for scheduled appointments or surgery,” Witt said.
“Nearly half of my surgical procedures were canceled last week because many of my patients are driving a far distance to meet me. Sometimes even two to three hours, or more. From my standpoint, I don’t pay much attention to weather unless I have to wake up earlier than I am already used too.
Witt has some good advice about navigating the cold and snow. “They say there is no such thing as bad weather just bad clothing choices.”
