2008 Woodie Awards
Spring has sprung, but ice still a problem
Slick sidewalks and parking lots result in injuries, despite efforts to clear off walkways.
Amy Poppinga
Issue date: 3/12/08 Section: News
"Anywhere where there is weather like we have in South Dakota, any sidewalks - on campus or off - are potentially dangerous," said Dr. Rick Holm, the medical editor of the On Call television program.
Due to the current melting and freezing cycle, Brenda Andersen, the associate director at Student Health, said the clinic is beginning to treat more ice-related injuries again after a small lull. At least one to two patients come in a week after a fall, she said.
Recently, Andersen had a student who could not move their elbow after a fall. Luckily, the elbow ended up not being broken.
Other students have met similar fates. Nicole Hansen, a sophomore animal science and pre-veterinarian major, has a friend who fell on the ice while walking to class last year. Hansen's friend, who is no longer a student at SDSU, fractured her wrist, forcing her to wear a brace and resulting in several doctor visits.
Despite these injuries on campus, Holm, who regularly jogs on campus, does not feel that the physical plant should be blamed. He said that even if the sidewalks are cleaned off well, they would not be completely safe.
"We can ask the physical plant to do as well as they can," he said. "My sense is they do an excellent job… It is extremely well compared to other places in the community."
Lynne Finn, the assistant director of the physical plant, said the plant tries to prevent ice from forming on the sidewalk by pushing the snow a couple of feet away from the sidewalks, which prevents the melting snow banks from draining onto the sidewalks.
Still, there are a few spots that students would like to be cleaned off better. Hansen said there is a patch of ice outside the fire escape door of Pierson Hall, and she said that sometimes the sidewalk from Pierson to the Rotunda can be icy.
Dixie Kittelson, a sophomore nursing major, said the sidewalk that is a steep hill outside of the Dairy Microbiology building is sometimes icy in the early mornings. She did point out, though, that the physical plant usually fixes the problem right away.
Due to the current melting and freezing cycle, Brenda Andersen, the associate director at Student Health, said the clinic is beginning to treat more ice-related injuries again after a small lull. At least one to two patients come in a week after a fall, she said.
Recently, Andersen had a student who could not move their elbow after a fall. Luckily, the elbow ended up not being broken.
Other students have met similar fates. Nicole Hansen, a sophomore animal science and pre-veterinarian major, has a friend who fell on the ice while walking to class last year. Hansen's friend, who is no longer a student at SDSU, fractured her wrist, forcing her to wear a brace and resulting in several doctor visits.
Despite these injuries on campus, Holm, who regularly jogs on campus, does not feel that the physical plant should be blamed. He said that even if the sidewalks are cleaned off well, they would not be completely safe.
"We can ask the physical plant to do as well as they can," he said. "My sense is they do an excellent job… It is extremely well compared to other places in the community."
Lynne Finn, the assistant director of the physical plant, said the plant tries to prevent ice from forming on the sidewalk by pushing the snow a couple of feet away from the sidewalks, which prevents the melting snow banks from draining onto the sidewalks.
Still, there are a few spots that students would like to be cleaned off better. Hansen said there is a patch of ice outside the fire escape door of Pierson Hall, and she said that sometimes the sidewalk from Pierson to the Rotunda can be icy.
Dixie Kittelson, a sophomore nursing major, said the sidewalk that is a steep hill outside of the Dairy Microbiology building is sometimes icy in the early mornings. She did point out, though, that the physical plant usually fixes the problem right away.
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