I try not to be one to complain about the slippery sidewalks in winter. I understand that it takes the workers time to plow and salt everything, so I tried to be more considerate when the sidewalks are a little slick.
That is, until I recently slipped and broke my ankle when walking to class.
Every Michigander knows that winters in this state are brutal. Encountering slippery walkways this time of year is not uncommon. I knew there would be snow and ice, and I prepared the best I could. I wore boots that have good traction and I left early for class so I could take my time walking. But it still wasn’t enough, and now I won’t be able to walk to class at all for a little while.
Students pay thousands of dollars every year to attend this university, and yet, on multiple occasions I’ve contemplated skipping my classes for the day so I can avoid a potential fall.
It’s not that I’m clumsy. I’m constantly seeing people slipping on the ice, sometimes catching their fall, sometimes not. It’s ridiculous how common it is.
Sure, sometimes there’s salt on the sidewalks. But a lot of the time, the amount of salt is inadequate for the amount of ice and barely makes a dent. A few hours after my fall and my release from the hospital, I drove past the scene of the crime and saw a sprinkling of salt on the area.
Judging by the continuous slips of other students, I assume it didn’t help much.
The slick sidewalks at Ferris have been a problem since I became a student here, but I could overlook it up until this point. Now, I have to somehow figure out how I’m going to finish the semester while being on bed rest, and I’ll probably have an even deeper fear of snow and ice than I did before. I wouldn’t wish this on anybody, but sadly, I’m definitely not the only one who has fallen victim (pun not intended) to Ferris’ slippery walkways.
It’s time for this to stop. No longer do I want to face my walk to class anticipating a fall. I’m sick of watching others wipe out and I’m sick of praying that the same doesn’t happen to me.
Ferris, please plow and salt your sidewalks: all of them, not just the most commonly walked ones (and even those are absurd). On top of that, make sure the job is efficiently done. A little cluster of salt isn’t going to cut it. It’s incredibly dangerous to leave the sidewalks covered in snow and ice. Weather predictions are so accessible nowadays. When a snowstorm is coming, I’d hope that there’d be more preparation on how to clear campus to allow students to get to class safely.
Bulldogs, put on your no-slip boots and pray for the best. It’s going to be a long winter.