Students were welcomed back to campus for the spring semester with temperatures as low as -14°F (-26°C) and snowfall totalling over 22.7 in (57.7 cm) in the two weeks that classes had been in session, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The extreme weather has contributed to a number of weather-related mechanical and infrastructure breakdowns across campus.

The extreme weather has made things challenging for Facilities workers and students alike. According to Jennifer Ambrose, director of Facilities, “Cold temperatures, snow and ice can place additional strain on building systems and infrastructure, requiring faster response times, increased coordination and heightened vigilance to keep campus buildings safe, functional and accessible.”

With temperatures down to -3°F (-19°C) Classes were canceled and most campus offices were closed on Friday, Jan. 23, with retail and dining on campus maintaining normal hours through the weekend, according to text alerts received by students at 8:08 p.m. on Jan. 22. According to John Zimmerman, associate director of public relations, Calvin has “an established system that considers multiple factors and is ultimately guided by the safety of our students, faculty and staff,” to determine when and how snow days are called.

Calvin’s Facilities department has been working early hours to ensure paths are clear. Scott Machiela, director of grounds, monitors conditions with assistance from Campus Safety to “determine when the Grounds team needs to arrive on campus — typically between 3:00 and 5:00 a.m. — to begin snow removal operations.”

“During snow events, the Grounds staff prioritize clearing roads and main pedestrian routes to ensure safe travel across campus. At the same time, our student shoveling crews focus on building entrances and secondary walkways. This coordinated approach allows both teams to work in parallel and maintain safe, accessible conditions across campus as efficiently as possible,” explained Machiela.

Despite these efforts, students are still facing challenges getting to class.

For KE resident Matthew De Vuyst, the snow has been a consistent challenge throughout his first two weeks back on campus. “Often the paths are not cleared yet in the morning on my way to class, and by the time they are cleared in the afternoon, they are slick with ice once the snow gets packed down from people walking on it.” For De Vuyst, the volume of snow has also been an obstacle in the parking lots: “I’ve had to shovel myself out, and help other people who are stuck in the snow.”

Marina Cerrone, a student leader for the Calvin Disability Inclusion Project, called attention to the mounds of snow that can block path intersections that “most individuals can simply walk over. For disabled students, it may be the reason we are late to class — because we had to find an alternate route.“ She continued, saying, “disabled students do not have the luxury of just ‘braving the weather.’”

The extreme weather has also put a strain on the mechanical systems and buildings on campus. This has led to a temporary loss of heating in the BB and KHvR dorms, a burst pipe in the Commons Annex, roof leaks and a malfunction on the exterior elevator that services the East Beltline crossing, according to Brett Hoogewind, associate director of Facilities.

Seth Slater, a resident of KHvR during its heat loss on Jan. 24, spent a lot of time in the dorm lobby by the fire. “It was the one place we could get heating, but it was nice because I was hanging out with people a lot because I could not retreat to my room,” said Slater.

Hoogewind commented that “while these issues are disruptive, Facilities is fortunate to have a team of highly skilled professionals who respond quickly when problems arise … and implement longer-term solutions to restore services and reduce the likelihood of future disruptions.”

Facilities workers were able to restore heat for some residents the same evening as the disruption. Other residents had heating in their rooms by the middle of the week, and others like sophomore Maia Peterson are still using space heaters to heat their rooms.

Peterson expressed her gratitude for the Facilities workers, saying, “They were super helpful and gave us a space heater for our room, and it feels a lot better now … They were obviously really busy and stressed and took a while to get back to us, but when they did, they were good.”

Slightly warmer temperatures are forecasted for this week, offering some relief from the extreme temperatures.