In Ellensburg, CWU’s winter quarter can be difficult for both students and staff. In a poll posted on the Observer’s Instagram, CWU students were asked how they get to class in the winter. 49% of students reported buying a parking pass and driving, while 51% reported walking. In a follow-up question posted to the Instagram 53% of students reported that walking made them feel safest and 47% reported driving.
Professor Ali Unal, assistant professor in the english department, expressed his opinions about commuting in the wintertime. Regarding switching from walking to driving, Unal said, “I decided to get a parking pass because it was going to be chilly … and I teach in the mornings … so I want to save some time to add to my prep.” Unal believes that his personal preference favors time; the weather itself doesn’t affect his commute. “It’s difficult to drive in the weather. In the cold, you have to clean the car or scrape the ice. So, it’s more work, but I put more pressure on time and saving time,” Unal said.
Family consumer science major Shelby Beveridge, a third year at CWU, walks to class and her job during the winter time. Similarly to Unal, Beveridge said that instead of the weather affecting safety it mainly affects her time management. “Last quarter, I would still walk to work when it was just snowing and stuff … and so if I saw it was snowing, I’d give myself a little bit extra time,” Beveridge said. As a student who works on campus, Beveridge sticks to her responsibilities despite the weather. Beveridge bought herself clothes to walk in the snow so it didn’t affect her commute. “I figure it’s a commitment … I gotta get there,” she said.
Law student Madelyn ‘Mikko’ Blais, who graduated spring of 2024, shared a different opinion on commuting to campus. A leading aspect of her issues with commuting were not the snowy weather, but the lack of heating in Farrall Hall during the winter. “Naturally cold environments make you more tired … I knew that I wouldn’t retain any of the information so I wouldn’t go,” Blais said. “It’s easier to drive than walk … I was less likely to go to class if I didn’t have a car. If it was just cold I wouldn’t care but once it started getting icy that’s when I wouldn’t go.” After falling while walking to school one time, she said, “It’s cold and I’m slipping … they don’t salt the sidewalks enough.”
In regards to how CWU could help commuting during the winter, everybody had differing ideas. Unal brought up buses for transporting students and staff from campus housing. Unal said, “It’s safer for students because it’s cold out there so it would be sort of something of a benefit”. Beveridge’s opinion was that while commuting during winter or rain storms there is rarely a place to stand if you can’t get into a building. “I had a few times when I just had to stand out here because I don’t have time to go back … so I’ll just walk around looking for some undercover seat”. Blais’s opinion was that CWU could do better at salting the sidewalks to commute to school, looking at where the minor improvements would help students and staff.
