dailygamecock.com UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
VOL. 114, NO. 12 • SINCE 1908
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2014
LET IT SNOW Jeremy Marshall Harkness / THE DAILY GAMECOCK
When snow finally fell late Tuesday night, students flocked to the Horseshoe to frolic in the snowfall that closed USC and much of the rest of the city for two days.
Thad Moore & Hannah Jeffrey NEWS@DAILYGAMECOCK.COM
A
s the afternoon started to fade into night around 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, the Thomas
Cooper Library was barren. The doors were locked, the sidewalks all but empty, the steps littered with small pellets — of salt, that is. USC was hunkering down, and students celebrated a day without classes, awaiting the inches of snow and sleet that forecasters had been promising for days. Campus and Columbia were all but shut down, ready for t he Tuesday af ter noon snowstor m that could have been. On Twitter, it was dubbed #snowmess. If only the snow had come. The National Weather Service expected 2 to 4 inches of snow and sleet to accumulate in Columbia on Tuesday evening, but as the day went on, the snow’s expected start was pushed back further into the night. It wasn’t until around 9 p.m. that the snow began to fall, covering campus in a blanket of snow. USC made a number of moves to get ready for the snowfall and ice. Class was canceled for a second day, the Bull Street Garage was shut down and traffic patterns on Greene Street were altered to keep cars off the steep hill on Bull Street. Carolina Dining opted to keep managers and some employees on campus overnight, renting rooms at the Inn at USC and setting up cots in dining facilities, according to Michael Gwiazdowski, operations manager. Sorority and fraternity members were directed to the Russell House ballroom to use their Greek Life meal plans. “Bull Street [Garage] was closed, so we couldn’t even get to our cars to drive to Greek Village,” said Juliet Wilson, fi rst-year broadcast journalism student and member of Delta Delta Delta sorority. “We didn’t want to walk in the rain.” As the crowds trickled out of the ballroom, students were encouraged to grab a few pizzas and a tray of sandwiches on their way out. Downstairs, Marble Slab workers scooped ice cream for anyone who wanted an extra chill, though there weren’t many. “There’s no one here. Now is the time to go [to Marble Slab],” Carly Hildebrant said from behind the counter. Hildebrant had talked to her boss the night before, when it was decided that cookies and ice cream would be available for anyone stuck on campus. Standing on the Horseshoe without a hat, scarf or gloves, Michael Kempner, a first-year biomedical SNOW • 2
FORECAST Today
Thursday
Friday
High
High
High
Low
Low
Low
Gradually clearing skies throughout the day. Some melting may take place over the course of the day, but there is a possibility of refreezing.
Due to ice and snow melting and refreezing with temperatures in the high teens, black ice and ice on roadways are a strong possibility.
It is unknown how refreezing ice and snow will impact roads Friday, but temperature increases indicate further melting.
33˚ 41˚ 52˚ 12˚ 19˚ 32˚ DINING
RUSSELL HOUSE
Bates Diner, Gibbes Court Bistro and Grand Market Place will open at 9 a.m. today.
The university union is open today on its usual schedule, from 7 a.m. until midnight. There are movies showing at the theater all day today and in the afternoon tomorrow. There’s also free popcorn available, while it lasts. Play Station and gaming will be available all day. Reservations for rooms in the Russell House will be rescheduled.
PARKING & ROADS Greene Street will be closed to eastbound traffic from Sumter Street to Bull Street, meaning the road will be closed for drivers headed toward Five Points. The closure will allow cars parked in the Bull Street Garage to get out while the hill on Bull Street is closed to traffic. Drivers won’t be able to park in the Bull Street Garage during the closures, but they can park in the Blossom Garage. Drivers with parking spots on the top floors of the Pendleton Street Garage will be allowed to park in the Senate Street Garage.
LIBRARY
“Wedding Crashers” “Easy A”
3 p.m., 9 p.m. 6 p.m.
GREEK VILLAGE Members of fraternities and sororities living in Green Village will have meals served at their houses. Others will eat in the Russell House Ballroom. Lunch will be served today from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and dinner will be from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Students will need CarolinaCards to pick up their meals.
The Thomas Cooper Library is closed today.
GYMS
THOMSON STUDENT HEALTH CENTER
The Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center is open today on its regular schedule, until midnight. The Blatt P.E. Center is closed today.
The health center and counseling services will open at 10 a.m. today. First responders are available at all times, and in an emergency, students can call 803-777-4215 or 911.