Waking up to the first real snow storm of the season yesterday caused many different student reactions.
"I was depressed. It's cold and I have to wear a scarf and gloves just to walk out the door," said Rackham senior Veve Lele I wish I could just go to class in shorts and a t-shirt," said Rackam fourth-year student Veve Lele. "I'm prepared materially for winter just not emotionally, even my cat's depressed."
Nearly 6 inches of snow amassed by 3 p.m. yesterday in Ann Arbor as part of the storm that tracked south of a line from Grand Rapids east to Port Huron, a National Weather Service meteorologist said.
"We generally saw two to six inches across the southern part of the state," Dennis Dixon said from the NWS' office in White Lake, where 4 inches of accumulation was reported. "Several times a winter, we'll see a track like this. It's a pretty typical storm."
Dixon expected the storm to drift from the area by later today, when lighter snow showers were expected statewide amid highs generally forecast in the upper 20s to lower 30s.
The storm was responsible for one teen-ager's death in one of three weather-related wrecks involving school buses. Jessica Rose Ketchum, 18, of Mason, died when the car in which she was riding spun into the path of an oncoming Mason school bus shortly before 8 a.m., Ingham County authorities said.
The driving and walking conditions yesterday caused some students to have fantasies about other states.
"The driving this morning was a little bit tricky. If I lived in Florida I could just get in my car and drive," Lele said.
LSA Dean Edie Goldenberg said driving in the snow didn't bother her very much.
"It was OK, I drove very slowly. It just took a little longer to get to work, I hope its going to be easy getting home," she said.
The road commission had been waiting for the storm front to arrive for a couple of days and were prepared this morning.
"Its been hectic, we got crews in here last night preparing for the storm and doing pre-salting," said Tim Towles, Ann Arbor street mantainence foreman.
The city tries to keep the major roads scraped and salted as much as possible, with one salt truck used solely for the campus area. The University also has some of its own snow equipment.
Towles said he often gets angry calls from commuters when the roads get bad.
"We just explain the situation to them and let them know that we are out there, that we're trying to keep in front of the storm and that we're doing the best we can," he said.
Some students plan to take advantage of the snowfall by participating in winter activities.
"I plan to build a snowman with friends and have a snowball fight," said Marianne Hindelang, a Chemical Engineering junior. "I'm already a little wet from stomping through the puddles."
The University doesn't have an official policy on what to do during snow emergencies. In the unlikely event that the school would close it would be a joint decision made by three University officials.
"There is not a written policy, persay. It's a joint decision between the president, the provost and the chief financial officer," said Jakie McClain, who works in the office of the chief financial officer.
Many students were excited when they saw the campus was blanketed in snow.
"I thought it was beautiful, I'm ready for the winter thing," said Rackam fourth-year student Sarah Munro.
She added that the snow did make her change her plans for the morning.
"It made up my mind to stay at home in my pajamas and study until I had to leave to meet a friend," she said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
12-11-97
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