By: Sydney Umstead, News Editor
Following recent snow storms and ice accumulation, salt is needed more than ever; however, it is getting harder to acquire.
Students have reported that campus has been extra slick lately, which was a topic of discussion at the United Students Association (USA) meeting on Feb. 7.
Jason Francey, director of Student Engagement and Leadership Development (SELD), discussed how there are “serious supply issues in the rock salt industry,” which is an issue trickling down to campus.
WGRZ 2’s report revealed that Canisius is not the only place affected. This is a regional issue, as the company American Rock Salt, “the county’s contracted supplier, has cited production issues leading to distribution delays.”
Part of the issue is that “orders are still being fulfilled, but not in full,” according to WGRZ 2.
Students also discussed the dangerous conditions that this has caused them. Elizabeth Shingler, a junior at Canisius, fell when leaving Bagen Hall to venture towards the Village Townhouses. She described how she had “walked up the hill to the parking spots and immediately slipped,” landing on her knee.
When Shingler woke up in the morning, after initially trying to laugh it off, she “could not move her left knee at all.” Furthermore, she discussed how her lower back is also in pain, and her “left knee hurts so bad,” to the point where she cannot “force it to move.”
Off campus, pedestrians are also facing the same issue, and on some occasions, the shortage has left people no choice but to walk in the street.
The shortage of salt does not only affect companies; local Buffalo residents are also under pressure from the lack of supply. WKBW 7 interviewed one resident, Alexander Burgos, who stated that salt “is like gold this year,” and one business, Schuele Ace Hardware, sends their employees out with a blank check to try to acquire salt for its customers, at no additional cost.
Joseph Snodgrass, the director of facilities management at Canisius, stated that staff first noticed a shortage at the beginning of the winter season.
Snodgrass told The Griffin that “Earlier in December after a couple of salt deliveries were later than normal we began to suspect there was an issue at the American Rock Salt mine or some other issue affecting delivery.” He noted how typically when orders are made, “it’s usually delivered within 2 days of the call.” But this is not what is happening.
Snodgrass said that currently, “our wait time has been up to 2 weeks and that’s with persistent (multiple times daily) calls from my end.”
Even with the delays, he explained that Canisius has had to be “smarter when applying but not in any way cutting back on it due to safety concerns.” This has also been even more crucial when dealing with inclement weather on campus. Snodgrass touched on how this winter has not seen a lot of snow, but rather “long stretches of below-freezing temperatures and measurable precipitation for the last 45–46 consecutive days.” However, he offered hope and appreciation, acknowledging how while it has been challenging, “the Elbers grounds crew is up to the task.”
As for students, he said, “As always during times of snow and ice, we ask that students observe caution when walking and driving outdoors around campus. Proper footwear is extremely important, as is keeping an eye on where you’re walking and having a good sense of outdoor conditions.”