Though the weather outside is frightful, Ohio State officials say they are prepared. Staff worked around the clock during Thursday’s winter weather advisory to ensure things on campus ran smoothly.

Patrick Maughan, the director of Risk and Emergency Management at OSU, said the department is watching the weather closely.

“We’re supposed to get three to six inches of snow in the next few days,” Maughan said. “So we’re in a monitoring state right now and want to make sure everyone is safe despite the bad weather.”

The department took several precautionary steps to combat the snow, Maughan said.

Custodial employees shoveled the entrances of campus buildings with the most traffic and also stocked up on extra supplies for the bad weather, he said.

Transportation and Parking staff began cleaning snow off the parking lots Thursday at 9 a.m, said director Sarah Blouch.

“We have 10 pick up trucks outfitted with plows and salt boxes that plow and salt surface parking lots and garage roofs,” she said.
Peter Calamari, the director of Facilities Operations and
Development at OSU, said their department focused on cleaning the major areas of campus first.

“Maintaining access to the Medical Center is the top priority,” Calamari said. “Then we focus on other 24-hour crucial operations like the Vet Hospital and Blankenship Hall. Then loading docks for campus kitchens and key areas of interest and heavy traffic on campus like RPAC and dorm areas.”

More than 24 snowplows, about 100 tons of salt and hundreds of workers are required to clean up the storm’s aftermath, Calamari said. Although the snow has caused multiple school closings around Columbus, university spokeswoman Amy Murray said campus closing is unlikely.

“Ohio State does not often close or dismiss early because of inclement weather,” Murray said. “But crews from OSU will continue working to keep all areas clear so the university can continue to operate.”