The presence of traction felt while walking down one of the many hills on campus is a luxury which students will soon no longer be able to take for granted.  Within a few short weeks, campus will undoubtedly be covered in a thick blanket of snow.  Many of the sidewalks that students have been using to speed walk to class for the past two months will be lost to a glassy sheen.  Soon, thin sheets of ice will encase every path on campus and the perils of winter life in Houghton will once again present themselves.
It’s a wonder Michigan Tech students survive from November to May each year.  Each spring, almost every student seems to have a new story to share about how they narrowly avoided their untimely end.  Most frequent, it seems, are stories of impromptu figure skating while passing through campus between classes.   With a backpack full of textbooks and binders strapped to you, it’s no doubt that your stability is already being challenged.  Add a freshly fallen layer of snow and it’s nearly impossible to walk across campus without some fancy footwork.  Those with impeccable balance might be able to save themselves from an embarrassing surrender to gravity with a grand flailing of the arms but most students will find themselves in a daze on the ground at some point this winter.  When this inevitably happens, take the embarrassment as a badge of honor; you’ve survived Houghton’s first of many attempts to maim you.
In an effort to minimize the amount of attention drawn to the situation, experienced Houghton winter survivors tend to pass by a fallen student without so much as a quick glance.  Unless a flurry of papers is thrown into the air as you plummet to the ground, you shouldn’t expect to have anyone rushing to your aid.  Simply stand up, brush yourself off, mutter an expletive or two under your breath and once again disappear into the crowd of bundled-up students.  As a passerby, try to suppress the urge to laugh upon seeing another student slip and Karma will treat you favorably.
Although the school’s snow removal staff certainly has good intentions, one of the most perplexing things they do is drive across campus with small vehicles equipped with a rotating brush.  While these vehicles may seem to be helpful at first, they serve only to push any sand or salt that may already be on the sidewalks off to the side – further compounding the slippery situation.  First-year students will soon learn to avoid walking behind any of the “ice-polisher” fleet and to never initiate a game of “red rover” with a disgruntled snowplow operator.
Another dangerous activity Michigan Tech students are forced to partake in on a daily basis is crossing US-41.  In a few weeks, students will resume their life-size game of Frogger and will, once again, find themselves hopping between the dorms and campus while seeking refuge on the traffic island between the lanes of the highway.  Experienced students know that crossing US-41 in the summer months is exciting enough; add a foot of freshly fallen snow and crossing becomes even more of a gamble.  Any student unfortunate enough to be hit by a car while crossing won’t be guaranteed the same anonymity as one who experiences a mid-campus slip.  Unless you are looking for a valid excuse to miss a few weeks of class or are seeking immediate campus-wide attention, darting into oncoming traffic with the same mindlessness seen in summer months is not advisable once winter arrives.
Recently, Michigan Tech has made an effort to increase the odds of winter survival for its students.  With the addition of a median along a section of US-41, students now only have to time their crossing of the highway with one direction of traffic-flow in mind.  The path connecting Wadsworth Hall and lower Daniell Heights is being equipped with handrails to aid residents in traversing the hilariously angled sidewalk.  There are still, however, plenty of wintertime challenges present across campus.  If you’re feeling particularly daring, the option is still present to hold races from the top of McNair hill, across US-41 and on top of freshly polished sidewalks all the way to the entrance of the ME-EM.  For novice winter survivors, a relay race from Fisher to Dillman might be a more feasible test of their survival skills.
This winter, as temperatures drop, sunlight becomes rare and the forecast calls for more and more snow, make sure to watch your step.  A tumble or two in the middle of campus is to be expected, but calamities such a being hit by a car are certainly avoidable.  When spring finally arrives, share your stories of courage, bravery and triumph over winter with everyone you know – provided you are strong enough to survive the upcoming challenges.