Cold weather sweeps campus and Tacoma is more than prepared
Afraid all of the incoming snow days will put you behind your classwork? UW Tacoma is ready with an abundance of information to help students keep learning during even the worst blizzard.
Santa’s laughter has faded from the sky, New Year’s fireworks have finally stopped ringing through the air, and according to the official City of Tacoma website, the inclement weather and snowstorms from the last couple of weeks are here to stay. Tacoma, however, is fully prepared to handle the worst that Mother Nature can throw at us.
The official website for the city of Tacoma, listed at cityoftacoma.org, has a page titled “Inclement Weather” that keeps a running tally on streets closed due to snow and ice. The page details responses the city is taking against the rough winter weather, and gives detailed guidelines of how they’re keeping the city running as the storm continues. The website, under their section on snow response, reads, “Pierce Transit and the Public Works Department have worked together to make sure transit routes are ready for winter weather, and residents are encouraged to leave their personal vehicles at home and use public transportation during storms.”
Whether it be Pierce County buses switching to snow routes and shuttle services or the Link Light Rail continuing operations through the heart of downtown through even the worst of the slush, Tacoma is working hard to help transport people safely to wherever their lives take them.
The people of Tacoma aren’t the only ones taking a stand against the weather either, as the Tacoma campus of the University of Washington is also working hard to keep their students safe as they continue their education. The University of Washington has always worked hard to keep students safe, and protecting them from the weather is no different.
UW Tacoma’s official website, a wealth of information for all enrolled students, has a page specifically on “Suspended Operations” under the Campus Safety and Security section of their website. On this page, you can find updates on all current campus conditions, inclement weather procedures for when storms do hit, and the general timeframe of when warnings will go out and when students can expect to hear more information. Students can even find information on what to say to their teachers or who else they can talk to and find help from if they can’t make it to class if weather is worse in their area than campus itself. The site also aids students in signing up for UW Alert, an online system that is helpful to all students and one that can immediately send a student emails and texts on emergencies such as weather alerts, campus emergencies, and more.
While the first week of class for the Winter 2022 quarter at UW Tacoma is being held online with the help of official class websites such as Canvas, as seen in an email sent to all students by UW Tacoma President Ana Mari Cauce just before Christmas, classes are due to return in person Jan. 10. With that thought in mind, it is important for off-campus students to have alternate ways to reach their classes if they find themselves surrounded by harsher winter weather than first expected.
While we’re not certain for how long online classes will continue for this quarter, with UW Tacoma’s website page on “Suspended Operations” having a list of various detailed resources located on their sidebar for handling rough weather, the students both on and off campus should be well prepared for any winter storm that hits as they attend in-person classes. In conjunction with the City of Tacoma keeping public transportation continuously running, students have more than a few options for making it to class on time.
