Snow sticks to the University Center after a winter storm Jan. 26. The UC serves as a warming center during severe inclement weather.
As a winter storm hit UTA, facilities management and directors of operations had to act fast to keep campus up and running, even though classes weren’t.
Here are some of the ways UTA maintained operations during the bad weather, as well as some of the problems that the storm caused.
The University Center and The Commons serve as hubs for students on campus, giving them opportunities to study, eat and hang out with friends or classmates.
During adverse weather, the buildings turn into places for students to stay warm and get food if they don’t have any at home. Bear Lunce, associate director of the University Center and The Commons, said there aren’t many grocery spots around campus, so when bad weather hits, it’s their job to provide essentials to students.
“Starting with food, power and warmth,” Lunce said.
During inclement weather when the campus is closed, Lunce said, the team limits the operating hours around dining times.
The university has contracts with vendors to deliver food no matter the weather.
If a residence hall or apartment building were to lose power or water, The Commons and the University Center could also serve as campus warming stations.
Both buildings are run by a limited student staff, similar to a skeleton crew. This staff is usually composed of by students who live on or immediately by campus who are least affected by bad road conditions, Lunce said.
“We’re only going to ask students to come to work if they feel comfortable walking into work,” Lunce said. “If somebody feels that it’s not safe for them, or they just don’t want to leave the comfort and warmth of their home, we obviously are not going to make anybody work who doesn’t want to work.”
He said the winter weather plan is something that is predetermined, and a lot of the staff has gone through adverse weather at least once.
“The day-to-day operations of those buildings is all student labor,” Lunce said. “We wouldn’t be able to do it without our student staff. Our student staff is terrific.”
The Office of Facilities Management oversees multiple departments and operations. When it comes to inclement weather, there is a significant checklist of items to address, said Don Lange, facilities management and campus operations assistant vice president, in an email.
Specific examples of what goes into preparation include checking buildings that have had challenges in bad weather in the past, planning to have staff stay on campus overnight for off-hours challenges and preparing meals for those working.
Much of the work involves planning before an event and then executing that plan. They verify who is available to respond to campus, pretreat stairs and other high-traffic areas, stage snow removal equipment, stage and inventory sand and ice melt products, and make sure generators are fully fueled, Lange said.
He said eight to 10 staff members stayed overnight in campus housing during the bad weather.
“We also have a number of staff that live close to campus and can get here in less than 5 minutes,” Lange said.
He said the university is fortunate to have a dedicated staff that can help before, during and after winter storms or other inclement weather.
“These individuals are devoted colleagues that want to do their best for UTA and the students they serve,” Lange said. “They put themselves at risk traveling to campus when many people can work from home.”
The winter storm caused several issues on campus, including water leaks at Heights on Pecan, the University Center, the Life Science Building and a parking garage.
On Tuesday morning, ice buildup in a pipe caused a fire sprinkler head to crack and leak at the small loading dock on the north side of the University Center, Lange said.
“Limited damage but the system worked as designed,” he said.
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