Dangerous Ice Storm Hits Frostburg; Exams On As Scheduled

The National Weather Service released a Winter Weather Advisory for Western Maryland on the morning of Friday, Dec. 13 which indicated that freezing rain with total ice accumulations of up to one-tenth of an inch was expected. Allegany County Public Schools, the local school system, called for a delayed opening at 5:14 a.m. and canceled classes at 8:21 a.m. FSU remained open throughout the morning and final exams commenced at 8:00 a.m.

The University, which makes announcements about weather-related delays via BURG Alerts, through campus email, and on their various social media pages, was quiet on Friday morning as the freezing rain began to fall.

In a Nov. 11, 2019 announcement made by Liz Medcalf, the Director of News and Media Services, she wrote that in the event that the university does not close, “the final decision regarding your safety resides with you.” Furthermore, any concerns about a student’s ability to make it to class due to inclement weather should be discussed with individual faculty members “before the weather turns nasty.”

However, Friday morning’s freezing rain was not accompanied by an announcement by FSU, and this left students and faculty to fend for themselves.

In a Facebook post at 9:45 a.m., the FSU Honors Program posted a photo on an untreated icy sidewalk that read, “Be careful on the sidewalks around campus. They are very, very slick and icy. Avoid Fuller House, in particular…”

Another faculty member also posted on Facebook saying, “not too proud to admit that, when faced with 3 feet of ice between the road and the grass patch doing into my office at FSU, I crawled to the railing. Thanks for taking care of us, FSU.”

Besides sidewalks around campus being icy, road conditions deteriorated throughout the morning, prompting a campus-wide BURG alert reading, “Because of icy conditions, Allegany Transit buses, including FSU Shuttle, are not operating.”

Reports of accidents in the area, including a three-car accident in nearby Corriganville, were shared over social media. Interstate 68 was at a stand-still at 10:15 a.m. due to an accident near the Beall Street exit in Cumberland. Eye-witnesses called the roads “nothing but a sheet of ice.”

For students concerned about final grades and exams, the ice storm was an unwelcome sight that added only more stress. “It’s ridiculous that I have to ask my professor to let me miss my final exam. It’s not fair to put me in that situation,” said a student who asked to remain anonymous.

The storm is expected to continue throughout the afternoon and the National Weather Services’ Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until 6:00 p.m.