Dorm residents found their cars and dorm parking lots covered in snow after the storm on Jan. 6. One resident of Wendell Hill Hall B devised a plan.

Carson Lee, a sophomore in the professional pilot program, found that wood pallets could be used to flatten the snow in parking lots. After finding a pallet in a nearby alley, Lee and several other students began the snow rescue operations for stranded drivers.

“I was thinking a lot of people were trying to get out of the parking lot,” Lee said. ”The snowplow had not come by yet. I heard that there wasn’t going to be a plow coming. I decided to take matters into my own hands and plow the parking lot with a couple of my friends.” 

By attaching a pallet with a tow strap to a four wheel drive truck, Lee and his friends were able to tow around the pallet. According to Lee, the snow would build up gradually on the top and sides and several people would begin shoveling the snow off the pallet. 

Lee said he came up with the idea because in the past he had towed a board around to flatten the snow of his driveway back home. Despite not having a board available, Lee said that a  pallet was a suitable alternative because it was strong enough and would be able to support the weight of the accumulating snow. “We  actually made pretty good progress,” Lee said. 

As the snow plow operation was underway, students also helped stranded drivers who were unable to get out of the parking lot. Five students got behind a car and everyone pushed the car until it gained enough traction, according to Lee. Over several hours the students were able to rescue five cars.  

Alex Smith, a sophomore in the professional pilot program, was one of the students who helped. 

“It was pretty fun,” Smith said. “I didn’t mind. I was motivated to do it. Just because there was a job that we had to do.”

Smith said the police stopped by briefly during the operation, “but to the student’s surprise, they were not asked to stop working.” 

The students estimated they were able to clear around four inches of snow. “People looked at us weird when we drove by and people in the windows gave us thumbs up but that’s about it,” Smith said.

Many stranded drivers were happy for the help, according to Smith. This allowed them to continue preparing for the winter quarter without the added stress of not being able to get out of the parking lot. 

While not an ordinary activity for students returning to campus after winter break, the opportunity allowed students to showcase their wildcat pride and pitch in when CWU was hit with record hitting snow.