The Gatepost Editorial: Essential workers are essential for a reason

For students who have grown up in the New England area, heavy snow falls and snow days are not unfamiliar experiences. 

However, 18.5 inches of snow can make life on a college campus very challenging. 

On a college campus, a snowstorm comes with many issues for students to consider, including where to park, when to go eat, class and activity cancellations, safety walking around campus, and whether they remembered to pack a snow brush. 

Essential personnel work incredibly hard in these conditions to mitigate these issues for students and show up on campus to ensure they are safe and comfortable. 

The Dean of Students Office made the campus community aware of the cancellation of class and activities as well as adjusted parking guidelines on Jan. 23, three days prior to the snow day on Jan. 26. The advance notice gave students plenty of time to prepare for the weekend. 

The additional snow day on Jan. 27 was incredibly valuable to the University’s large population of commuter students. With over 20 inches of snow falling on some Massachusetts towns, there was no safe way for commuter students and faculty to get to campus.

In order to keep us safe, there were many departments working tirelessly during the storm. Framingham State Police Department officers were continually patrolling, Sodexo employees continued to cook hot meals for students, and the Facilities’ snow crew worked throughout the entirety of the snow storm to keep walkways clear. 

In addition to the snow, the temperatures dipped as low as -1 degree Fahrenheit as maintainers were still out shoveling and plowing. 

Facilities kept the residence halls and academic buildings heated and clean so students could be comfortable and return to their classrooms on Wednesday without issue. 

The support from Facilities continued after the storm as members of the Facilities team and Ryan Hacker, associate vice president for the Office of Facilities and Capital Planning, personally helped students shovel their cars out in the Maple Lot. 

Much of the work essential workers perform for the University goes unnoticed by the campus community, but our school would not be functional without it. 

These workers don’t get enough thanks throughout the year, and storms like this highlight all of their contributions to the community. 

Without this work undertaken behind the scenes, our campus would not have been able to open at all this week. The Gatepost Editorial Board cannot thank all of the members of the campus community who helped us through the storm enough. 

It is important to acknowledge the help FSUPD, Dining Services staff, maintainers, and the snow removal crew provide when storms like this hit. 

However, it is even more important to thank them for doing the day-to-day work we tend to overlook. 

When you see these staff members around campus, take a second to say hello and thank them for all the hard work they do. 

Essential workers are essential for a reason.