This winter brought approximately 30 inches of snow and massive amounts of ice to EWU’s campus, and some students feel there has not been enough done to deal with the influx.

Landscape Maintenance supervisor Jeff Toulou said 8,000 gallons of liquid de-icer, 18 tons of granular de-icer and 100 yards of calcium sand have been used so far this winter. These numbers may seem like a lot but, going off of student opinion, Facility Services could stand to use even more.

EWU has 27 parking lots maintained by Facility Services. Toulou said these lots, plus all the metered parking on campus, are patrolled by four employees: three full time and one part time.

Four vehicles plowing and moving snow may seem like enough, but when a snowstorm brings 10-plus inches to campus, it may not be.

EWU senior Nathan Peters lives in the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity house and struggles with the leftover snow and ice every day. “In my lot, we have to go uphill to get to the house, and because of the snow and ice, we slip and fall,” Peters said. He went on to explain how, just to drive into their lot, he and his brothers have to get quite a bit of momentum going or they will not make it.

The snow left by plows on the sides of the roads has also made life on campus more difficult, as the snow covers up the curb. This makes it almost impossible for students to see if they are parking legally.

Not all “No Parking” zones are marked with signs — some are simply marked with yellow curbs. “I’ve seen a lot of cars parked too close to the corner, making it more difficult to see around the turn, and this has just gotten worse with the snow,” EWU senior Siobhan Ebel said. Ebel also noted the snow build-up on curbs has made it harder for cars to get as close to the curb as they are supposed to, which results in a narrower street.

The streets are not the only problem. EWU senior Nick Halverson and EWU sophomore Brandi Wren said they feel sidewalks and parking lots have been neglected as well. “Not all sidewalks get de-iced before classes start, making it very difficult to get around,” Halverson said.

Wren ran into trouble finding a spot in the parking lot she had paid for. “I spend half of a paycheck for good parking, and when I try to go to campus, my spot has been jacked by snow,” Wren said.

While EWU does have an answer to the snow and ice that comes with winter, whether or not it is enough is what seems to be up for debate.