The Rocky Mountain Collegian

Issue date: 10/29/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Brandon Iwamoto A snowman built by senior biology major Edgar Scott sits on the north ledge of the third floor walkway of Clark B overlooking a snowman scene he is building below.

A grand circle of almost-century-old men decided the fate of the university Wednesday.

As flurrying snowflakes plummeted to earth in the first snowstorm of the season, their backs, robust and erect, strained under the weight, arms breaking, falling and lining CSU's historic Oval.

Eventually, the aged trees closed the Oval Wednesday morning to vehicles and passersby.

Though branches broke beneath the snow's weight, no damages were reported CSU spokesperson Dell Rae Moellenberg told the Collegian in a phone interview.

Less than two hours after the Oval's closure, CSU shut its doors at 2 p.m. amid what the Associated Press deemed the largest October snowstorm since 1997. On Oct. 25, 1997 then Gov. Roy Romer declared a state of disaster emergency as a result of the blizzard that deposited up to 54 inches of snow across Colorado.

CSU closed for a day on March 27 of this year -- it was the first time the university cancelled classes and suspended operations since Dec. 20, 2007. The last time CSU cancelled classes was on March 20, 2003.

Following announcement of the university closure, lines of cars, barely visible beneath snow that piled more than a foot high atop roofs and blinded windshields, idled in lines along Plum and Pitkin Streets waiting to exit campus.

In a mass exodus, students, beneath layers of coats, fur hoods and soggy tennis shoes, trudged through inches of snow along sidewalks and bike lanes shielding their eyes and noses from the erratic flakes.

Ivory Matthews IV, a freshman undeclared major from El Paso, Texas, was found leaving the Braiden Residence Hall to build a snowman and partake in a snowball fight.

Continued...

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