The administration finally issued a formal policy for closure during hazardous winter weather. No one else has to gamble with their safety on these treacherous sidewalks just to attend a lecture.
March 10, 2018
Final supporters
If I can slide my feet without friction on the sidewalks from one university building to another, I should not be walking to school.
If I slip on ice multiple times while walking in the grass, I should not be walking to school.
If I am terrified of crossing the street because I do not know if a car will be able to stop, I should not be walking to school.
If I have to physically crawl up an incline, not a hill, an incline, I should not be walking to school.
If it takes an hour to cross a parking lot, I should not be walking to school.
If the University President says they have done all that they can for the sidewalks and all of this still occurs, I should not be walking to school.
If students are breaking their limbs on ice, I should not be walking to school.
If all other schools in the city are closed, I should not be walking to school.
If students slip on stairs and smack their heads on the way down, I should not be walking to school.
If it takes me 30 minutes to walk what usually takes me 10, I should not be walking to school.
If I am scared of stepping off the curb, I should not be walking to school.
If cars are stalling out trying to get up into a parking lot, I should not be walking to school.
If neighbors are coaching me on how and where to walk from one patch of grass to another, I should not be walking to school.
If 9/10 students I talk to say that they fell on the ice, I should not be walking to school.
If the University sends out a "you are encouraged to use your
judgment about your own safety" email, I should not be walking to school.
When Truman State University does not take action to keep students safe in the terrible weather, it shows that the school is more focused on the education of their students than their health. One of the most common injuries to occur when there is ice on the ground is a head injury. The average person experiences extreme symptoms for 7-10 days after getting a concussion. If going to school for one day may force you to be pulled from class for a week, then I do not understand how that day is worth the injury procured. Truman is known for having a rigorous curriculum that forces students to feel obligated to come to class even under the most dire of circumstances. The email coming from the University about "us[ing] your own judgment" comes across as the pride of the University and their inability to accept that they should have cancelled class, instead, they are leaving it up to the discretion of the professors who have already been on campus for 2 hours and the students who are known for being so dedicated to their education that "I cannot miss class" is probably uttered more on days like today than any other phrase.
So to encourage Truman to put the safety of their students first, I have come up with a few possible solutions to the issue at hand:
Cancel class.
Delay the start.
Anything.
If professors are worried about falling behind in their schedules, send out the powerpoint for the lecture to the students and have them learn it on their own. Next class go through it quickly or simply see if students have any questions. If they do not want to send out their powerpoint, have students reread the chapter in the book, then cover the highlights in class.
If professors have a quiz or test in the class, reschedule it to another class period. If it will mess up their schedule too much, have them put it on Blackboard for students to take online while they are safe inside their homes, or reschedule to a different point in time that is not during a class time.
If none of these solutions work for the administration, I would be happy to sit down and discuss a different possible solution. Just let me know. In the mean time, I will be sitting at work on campus, fretting walking to my class because school is still in session.
Updates
February 23, 2018
Seeing 500 signatures on this page reminds me of the bruised knees and constant anxiety I feel every time the temperature drops on campus. It feels validating to know so many others are terrified of these sidewalks just like I am.
Reached 500 supporters
February 22, 2018
February 22, 2018
Seeing so many of you share your own painful falls and terrifying commutes has proven I am not just being dramatic about these icy sidewalks. This momentum shows the administration that our safety is not negotiable when the campus turns into a death trap.
Reached 100 supporters
February 22, 2018
February 20, 2018
My own hands are still shaking from the ice I navigated this morning just to reach class. We are climbing toward 500 signatures and I need you to push this link to your classmates right now so the administration knows how many of us are tired of risking our safety.
190 Comments
Couldn’t stop when I left Campbell apartments this morning for anatomy lab which is held off campus at A.T. Still, so I was lucky that there wasn’t anything in my way. A. T. Still was closed today though, so only Truman students taking anatomy were there
Even though you say “you shouldn’t come to class if you feel unsafe” you’re not really helping because obviously we’re still going to go because we’re truman students who care about our grades!! You guys should care about our safety.
One of my professors car went off the road and that’s the reason he cancelled class. The school should have been cancelled long before that. The salt trucks did not start until after 7:30. That is ridiculous.
I'm still expected to turn in a lab report for a lab I couldn't attend without risking a concussion. ATSU has cancelled classes due to the weather, as have many other schools in the area. Academics should not take priority over physical health.
so sick of the university not considering the well being of the students. if you really want to have class, pay your grounds employees to treat sidewalks BEFORE school hours. at 7:30 am there was absolutely NO treatment done. it’s ridiculous
This was dangerous for all students and faculty and horrible judgement on Trumans part.
The campus my have been mostly cleared but everywhere around campus was coated and encased in ice. It took me three times longer than normal to arrive on campus Even the grass was too slippery to walk normally on.
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The administration finally issued a formal policy for closure during hazardous winter weather. No one else has to gamble with their safety on these treacherous sidewalks just to attend a lecture.
March 10, 2018
Final supporters
If I can slide my feet without friction on the sidewalks from one university building to another, I should not be walking to school.
If I slip on ice multiple times while walking in the grass, I should not be walking to school.
If I am terrified of crossing the street because I do not know if a car will be able to stop, I should not be walking to school.
If I have to physically crawl up an incline, not a hill, an incline, I should not be walking to school.
If it takes an hour to cross a parking lot, I should not be walking to school.
If the University President says they have done all that they can for the sidewalks and all of this still occurs, I should not be walking to school.
If students are breaking their limbs on ice, I should not be walking to school.
If all other schools in the city are closed, I should not be walking to school.
If students slip on stairs and smack their heads on the way down, I should not be walking to school.
If it takes me 30 minutes to walk what usually takes me 10, I should not be walking to school.
If I am scared of stepping off the curb, I should not be walking to school.
If cars are stalling out trying to get up into a parking lot, I should not be walking to school.
If neighbors are coaching me on how and where to walk from one patch of grass to another, I should not be walking to school.
If 9/10 students I talk to say that they fell on the ice, I should not be walking to school.
If the University sends out a "you are encouraged to use your
judgment about your own safety" email, I should not be walking to school.
When Truman State University does not take action to keep students safe in the terrible weather, it shows that the school is more focused on the education of their students than their health. One of the most common injuries to occur when there is ice on the ground is a head injury. The average person experiences extreme symptoms for 7-10 days after getting a concussion. If going to school for one day may force you to be pulled from class for a week, then I do not understand how that day is worth the injury procured. Truman is known for having a rigorous curriculum that forces students to feel obligated to come to class even under the most dire of circumstances. The email coming from the University about "us[ing] your own judgment" comes across as the pride of the University and their inability to accept that they should have cancelled class, instead, they are leaving it up to the discretion of the professors who have already been on campus for 2 hours and the students who are known for being so dedicated to their education that "I cannot miss class" is probably uttered more on days like today than any other phrase.
So to encourage Truman to put the safety of their students first, I have come up with a few possible solutions to the issue at hand:
Cancel class.
Delay the start.
Anything.
If professors are worried about falling behind in their schedules, send out the powerpoint for the lecture to the students and have them learn it on their own. Next class go through it quickly or simply see if students have any questions. If they do not want to send out their powerpoint, have students reread the chapter in the book, then cover the highlights in class.
If professors have a quiz or test in the class, reschedule it to another class period. If it will mess up their schedule too much, have them put it on Blackboard for students to take online while they are safe inside their homes, or reschedule to a different point in time that is not during a class time.
If none of these solutions work for the administration, I would be happy to sit down and discuss a different possible solution. Just let me know. In the mean time, I will be sitting at work on campus, fretting walking to my class because school is still in session.
Updates
February 23, 2018
Seeing 500 signatures on this page reminds me of the bruised knees and constant anxiety I feel every time the temperature drops on campus. It feels validating to know so many others are terrified of these sidewalks just like I am.
Reached 500 supporters
February 22, 2018
February 22, 2018
Seeing so many of you share your own painful falls and terrifying commutes has proven I am not just being dramatic about these icy sidewalks. This momentum shows the administration that our safety is not negotiable when the campus turns into a death trap.
Reached 100 supporters
February 22, 2018
February 20, 2018
My own hands are still shaking from the ice I navigated this morning just to reach class. We are climbing toward 500 signatures and I need you to push this link to your classmates right now so the administration knows how many of us are tired of risking our safety.
190 Comments
I knew of 2 students sent to the ER trying to get to class. In Truman’s attempts to “be the best and brightest” they seem suffer a serious laps in judgement when it comes to the safety of their students. You already give us severe anxiety... why not give us a snow day every once in a while?
Couldn’t stop when I left Campbell apartments this morning for anatomy lab which is held off campus at A.T. Still, so I was lucky that there wasn’t anything in my way. A. T. Still was closed today though, so only Truman students taking anatomy were there
Even though you say “you shouldn’t come to class if you feel unsafe” you’re not really helping because obviously we’re still going to go because we’re truman students who care about our grades!! You guys should care about our safety.
One of my professors car went off the road and that’s the reason he cancelled class. The school should have been cancelled long before that. The salt trucks did not start until after 7:30. That is ridiculous.
I'm still expected to turn in a lab report for a lab I couldn't attend without risking a concussion. ATSU has cancelled classes due to the weather, as have many other schools in the area. Academics should not take priority over physical health.
so sick of the university not considering the well being of the students. if you really want to have class, pay your grounds employees to treat sidewalks BEFORE school hours. at 7:30 am there was absolutely NO treatment done. it’s ridiculous
This was dangerous for all students and faculty and horrible judgement on Trumans part.
The campus my have been mostly cleared but everywhere around campus was coated and encased in ice. It took me three times longer than normal to arrive on campus Even the grass was too slippery to walk normally on.
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I knew of 2 students sent to the ER trying to get to class. In Truman’s attempts to “be the best and brightest” they seem suffer a serious laps in judgement when it comes to the safety of their students. You already give us severe anxiety... why not give us a snow day every once in a while?