Some people think of snow and are reminded of beautiful landscapes, delicious hot chocolate and, of course, fun winter activities. However, CWU students, staff and faculty are reminded of brutally cold mornings, blizzards and sheets of clear thick ice that could topple a football player.

CWU groundskeepers work for hours clearing away the feet of snow that falls on-campus throughout the winter. They dump the snow in “raw” areas which are often desolate parking lots.

Some students use the leftover snow to remain active even in the harsh weather conditions.

Some students and RA’s have used the snow to their advantage. Meisner Hall hosted a snowman building contest during the first week of snowfall.

Kerry Neubauer, one of the groundskeepers, has plowed snow at CWU for 20 years. She said she loves her job and moving around snow.

“My dream one day is to own a one-horse sleigh,” Kerry Neubauer said.

It takes, on average, four to six hours to plow the snow in her designated area which includes the Science Building driveway all the way to Bouillon Hall.

Fortunately there are other employees for different areas around campus.

Brandon Park, a student grounds worker and construction management major, plows snow from Student Village to the Psychology Building.

He drops off the shoveled snow in large piles near Wendell Hill Hall and the ROTC building. From there, the snow is loaded onto large trucks and is dumped in the raw areas and left to melt.

Park said he enjoys the snow and snowboarding.

“The best place I’ve gone snowboarding was Apex, Canada,” he said.

However, not all CWU students enjoy the snow.

“I hate the snow. It is cold and annoying,” said Mallory Keck, a CWU sophomore.

Students who walk around the campus and between classes, appear to share this same opinion.

“The snow is so cold,” said Marue Yumoto, an AUAP student from Japan, said.

Yumoto said that she does enjoy skiing on occasion, despite the cold.

At the end of the day, the citizens of Ellensburg nor the students of CWU can control the weather. Ellensburg experiences a four-season cycle that some areas don’t.