Advice from Campus Security on winter safety
By Sarah Baker
As the winter season fast approaches, Campus Safety Operations Manager Marty Martinez has some advice for students on how to stay safe.
“A meteorologist at University of Washington said we’re going to skirt through November just fine, but the wind and snow are coming in December,” said Martinez.
Martinez advises students to keep an eye out for PC alert emails and to listen to KONP radio for updates during particularly snowy or stormy days.
These updates will let students know if PC will be on a late start schedule and if campus will be closed early or all day.
Students should also keep an eye out for “beware of ice” signs and drive carefully through the parking lot.
The lanes in the parking lot are one-way lanes, so students should not park in a pull-through fashion.
This will cause them to exit the parking lane the wrong way.
In some cases, these instances have resulted in small fender benders.
Campus Safety can ticket students if necessary, but it isn’t their preferred course of action.
They have been leaving fliers on cars that have parked incorrectly, displaying directions on how to use the parking lot.
“We really don’t like to give tickets and earn revenue that way,” said Martinez, “students already pay so much for books and tuition.”
If students see any kind of crash or fender bender in the parking lot, they should report it to campus safety.
Martinez also advises students to keep emergency items in their cars throughout the winter, items such as spare phone chargers, blankets, spare clothes, water, nonperishable snacks and a flashlight.
Campus Officers take student safety seriously. Next time you’re cleberating an early closure, keep in mind that Safety Officers will be on campus all day, shoveling the sidewalks and salting the parking lanes.