By Jake Wynn// Repeated mid-winter snowstorms put down close to two feet of snow across the Hood College campus and the Frederick area over the last weeks of February and early March. The snow found many different opinions among students and staff at Hood.

“It stinks,” said junior Julia LeClaire while walking across campus with a group of friends, on February 21 . “We are always getting this snow on the weekend when we don’t have classes.” The timing of that storm seemed to be on many students minds. “What’s the good of snow if you don’t have classes to get cancelled,” said senior Keegan Woche.

The Frederick area received between 8 and 10 inches of snow on February 21 according to the National Weather Service. The snow started early in the morning and lasted all day, creating a nightmare on area roads. It ranks as one of the largest snowstorms to impact Central Maryland in the last five years.

Tractor clears snow in front of Alumnae Hall. Photo by Jake Wynn.

Campus safety officer Greg Sulby differed from many students on the opinions about the this winter’s snowstorms. “With storms occurring on the weekend, it gives us more time to clean up and not worry about having as many faculty and students around on campus,” he said.

The snow did not stop many students, and a few snowmen appeared and snow ball fights broke out across campus. “If it is going to snow, and I’m sick of this winter, we are all better off with it on Saturday instead of a Tuesday,” Sulby said.

With minimal cancellations due to the snow, SGA President and senior Tim Hulyk agreed with Sulby. “Lately we have had a lot of events during the week that have been cancelled due to the winter weather. With snowstorms like this, we don’t have that problem,” he said.

Of course, there were also those who are just done with winter all together, and they ventured to stay inside and out of the cold. Senior Caroline Schuetz pined for warmer days. “I’m ready for summer and a trip to the beach,” she said. “But until then, I’ll stay warm with some hot chocolate and Netflix.”

One of the Coldest Februarys on Record

Following the storm on February 21, another massive snowstorm dropped close to a foot of snow on Frederick and the surrounding areas. Unlike the earlier snowstorm, most students were prepared for the winter to end and warmer weather to take over.

Snow covers main entrance to Hood College. Photo by Jake Wynn.

“I’ll be thankful for the snow to be over,” senior Nada Elbasha said. “We’ve had too much already, and it’s really piled up downtown by my apartment. It makes it difficult to walk to school.”

According to the National Weather Service and the Baltimore Sun, this past February was amongst the coldest on record. Average temperatures in the region were significantly below normal, with daily record lows falling frequently during mid-February. Some students were just looking past the snow to the warmer temperatures of spring.

“May means graduation,” Elbasha said while shivering, “and it also means 70 degrees and sunny.”