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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Thursday, March 28, 2024

Despite snowy weather, Grafton campus stays open more often

2014-08-22-Wildlife-Clinic-36
A wounded turtle is treated at the Wildlife Clinic on Tufts' Grafton campus on Aug. 22, 2014. The Grafton campus has only experienced four snow day closures this semester.

Due to this season's heavy snowfall, the university's Grafton campus, which houses the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, has been closed four times in the past several weeks, which is fewer than the Medford/Somerville campus' six closures. The Grafton campus closed on Jan. 27, Jan. 28, Feb. 2 and Feb. 9.

According to Deputy Director of Public and Environmental Safety and Director of Emergency Management Geoffrey Bartlett, the main reason the Grafton campus, which is about 50 miles west of the Medford/Somerville campus, has been able to remain open more often is that it has seen less snowfall than the Medford/Somerville and Boston campuses have.

“But there’s some other factors involved,” Bartlett continued. “[The Grafton campus] looks very different from our more urban campuses here. One of the big differences is there’s a lot more space out in the Grafton campus, so there’s different dimensions of snow removal out in the Grafton campus."

Bartlett added that fewer buildings on the Grafton campus also allow for easier snow cleanup.

Senior Director of Facilities Steve Nasson, who oversees all three campuses, attributed the Grafton campus' increased openings to a similar set of factors.

“We have the animal hospital, and this winter, as opposed to the others, they’ve actually had less snow than the other [campuses], and it’s also a much smaller campus and it’s a much easier campus to keep clean,” he said. “So as long as it’s safe for students and faculty to get to campus, we try to keep them open.”

According to Bartlett, even when the Grafton campus is closed, the Foster Hospital for Small Animals and the Hospital for Large Animals still operate.

“The hospital is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week enterprise, and, in fact, it’s an important regional resource," he said. "So even when the campus is closed, that hospital is still taking care of inpatients and is still available to receive emergency patients.”

Vice President of Operations Linda Snyder explained that the factors considered in school closure decisions include the impact of local weather conditions (such as weather emergencies declared by state and local authorities), the condition of on-campus pedestrian walkways, streets, parking lots and loading facilities and local transportation conditions on community streets and public transit.

Bartlett stressed that the different campuses decide whether to close independently of one another.

“We make an independent decision based on the individual circumstances, and that’s why even across Tufts University, you’ll see that on different days different campuses may have had different operational status decisions,” he said.

The decision to close campus is not based solely on the amount of snow, but rather on the impact the snow has had on the campus, according to Bartlett.

“So we’re assessing, have you been able to clear building entries and exits? Are roads passable? Are the essential pathways passable? Are the parking lots clear? Can we receive cars into those parking lots?" he said. "Those are some of the factors we're considering. Obviously when less snow falls, it's a lot easier to clear those benchmarks.”

Bartlett added that in some cases, on the days when the Grafton campus was closed, the campus may have been in better condition than some of the surrounding roads. However, because the Grafton campus is essentially a non-resident campus, the conditions of the surrounding roads had to be taken into account.

According to Nasson, the snow-clearing process begins as soon as snow starts to fall. The task is undertaken by the university staff of 30 grounds workers with support from between five and 25 DTZ custodial workers who clear walkways, front stairs and entrances to buildings.

“We try to rotate them, we give them rest," Nasson said. "The dining services folks are very kind to us during the storms. We feed everybody that’s working and get them in and out based on the temperature as well."

Nasson cited the role of the trades professionals on staff as another reason the Grafton campus could remain open.

“[They’re] there around the clock, making sure that the electrical transformers are clear -- and we haven’t lost any power in any of these storms -- and staying on campus for plumbing issues and roofing issues, etc., so even though you don’t see everybody, we are still on campus 24/7,” he said.

Nasson added that he was very proud of the facilities and custodial staff for tackling the challenges presented by heavy snowfall.

“Obviously it’s been really tough" he said. "They’re tired, they’ve been cold, they’re working an exorbitant amount of hours and they’re coming in [with] no complaints. Storm after storm, the morale seems up, and you know they take pride in what they do out there to make sure that the students and the staff and faculty are safe.”