By Deaven Zimmerman

Staff Writer

Over the past few weeks, the weather has made it hazardous for students to get to classes let alone make it out of their driveways. Despite the fact that the main highways have been cleared, many rural areas are still covered in blankets of ice.

“It’s disheartening when the roads are clear but there is an inch and a half sheet of ice coating my car,” said Hannah Varble, a 27-year old English major.

One student commented that he nearly lost his tires after the storm of sleet, snow, and freezing rain when frozen spikes of ice formed around the tires of his car.

“Just moving my tires was a risk,” said Stephen Moore, a 19-year-old computer graphics major. “When I got halfway out of my driveway I almost spun out.”

Another student found it hard to make it into the main campus building.

“I enjoy winter,” said Whitney Lucus, a 23-year-old music education major, “but I dislike the blatant disrespect that this school has for its students in not clearing the lot across from Dairy Queen of ice. I carry a violin, a laptop, my purse, and an oboe to school every day and I fell three times on the massive sheet of ice I had to park on trying to get to my class last Tuesday.”

With arctic temperatures that have held out in the Alton/Godfrey area just being outside for any length of time can be dangerous.

“I nearly had frostbite on my hands the other day when headed out from the college to Subway and back,” said Erica Miles, a 21-year-old computer graphics major. “My hands were red and turning purple and it was excruciating pain. I saw stars and almost passed out. I couldn’t move my hands and it took three hours to get full feeling back in most of my hands but they were tender and still hurting. I still haven’t regained feeling in the pinky on my left hand.”