I have lived in Colorado for 21 years (I am a native), so I have seen many Colorado winters. Sometimes it is blizzarding, other times it is 60 degrees and sunny; there really is no logic when it comes to winters around here.
That being said snow has played a large role in my life. From snowmobiling at age 4 to learning how to drive a car the in snow at age 16, I am no stranger. Snow does not bring about anxiety and I feel competent in driving through it.
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This morning however, January 28, 2019, I was tightly gripping onto the steering wheel, praying that my own car and the cars around me wouldn’t spin out. Roads that had been hardly plowed, ice patches, heavy snow fall, low visibility and even wind; I remained in shock that CU had not even called a delay.
Utter silence from the chancellor.
Living 40 minutes away from campus, it took over 2 hours to arrive and I am wondering: what will it take for the Chancellor to call a snow day?
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My previous university, UCCS, was mostly a commuter school so they were never late in calling a snow day. I understand that most CU student live in Boulder and therefore can walk or take buses to school, but there is still a large population of commuter students; large enough that I cannot understand why the chancellor seems to overlook us so easily.
Another quick example in which I felt this school overlooks commuter students was when purchasing a meal plan. Checking online in the summer I was thankful to see meal plans for commuters not only included meal swipes, but also a small sum of Munch Money. There certainly would not be any sort of worry of going hungry this way. But, by the time we were able to actually purchase the meal plans, the Munch Money had been removed, yet the overall cost was raised.
This left me fuming, and again, today I am fuming.
If I could afford to live on campus or in Boulder, I certainly would. In fact, I deeply wish this were possible. But it is not. And I know I am not the only one.
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This is an expensive school, and an expensive town. For many people, it is impossible to live here, yet if you don’t live here, you face the danger of driving through blizzards in order to keep a good grade in classes and not fall behind in labs.
Don’t get me wrong, snow is beautiful, ESPECIALLY in Boulder and this dry state needs the moisture more than anything. Regardless, there comes a point in a blizzard when lives are being risked. Lives being risked to attend a few classes? This is not okay.
If you are a commuter or transfer student and have felt overlooked by the University, please share this article and send me your stories on Instagram (@kalynnbear). I would love to hear from you.
Image Credit: Boulder CVB