On the morning of Sunday, Jan. 25, Guilford students woke up to a winter wonderland of ice, snow, and sleet blanketing campus after Winter Storm Fern. Life at both Guilford College and across the city of Greensboro came to a halt due to the once-in-a-year weather event.

Guilford students experienced the storm in different ways. Some, like sophomore Penny Desch, ventured out onto icy roads to take in the sights around campus.

“I went outside for a walk and took pictures a few times,” Desch said.

After filling her camera roll, Desch went inside to warm up by playing video games with her siblings. She was not alone in choosing to enjoy the weather from indoors. Junior Frankie McClernon decided the icy conditions were not for him and stayed bundled up inside.

“I stayed in for the most part. I wasn’t fully prepared with good shoes, so keeping my feet dry was a problem,” McClernon said. “I did venture out to get food at the Caf at one point.”

The college closed Monday, Jan. 26, and held classes virtually Tuesday, Jan. 27. Campus reopened for in-person classes Wednesday, Jan. 28. While an email from the provost’s office stated that “all main buildings and dorms have at least one entrance and exit cleared,” many roads and walkways around campus remained covered in ice. The email advised students to avoid dangerous routes, but for some students, such as junior Luca Hoffman, alternative paths were not available.

“The roads from the apartments to campus were still really bad. They should have made sure the ice was manageable to cross in all places, not just near Founders,” Hoffman said.

Desch and McClernon reported similar difficulties getting to class on Wednesday and Thursday. All three students said they slipped on the ice at least once.

“I was happy to have classes in person again. However, the ice quickly became a problem,” McClernon said. “I personally enjoyed sliding around on the ice, but it felt very dangerous.”

According to Desch and Hoffman, the college should have remained remote on Wednesday and Thursday due to the condition of campus pathways. Hoffman said he hopes the college stays “remote until the ice and snow are more manageable to get around or cross” in future storms.

Desch said she believes “the college did the best that they could, given the circumstances.” McClernon disagreed, saying the college could have done more.

“The college could have started to work on the ice much earlier than they did,” McClernon said. “There were patches of ice in front of Milner and between King and Founders that weren’t dealt with until Friday afternoon.”

McClernon said he hopes the college addresses hazardous conditions sooner in the future to prevent injuries. He also believes additional remote days would have been appropriate.

While the winter weather was initially a novelty for Guilford students, decisions later in the week dampened what could have been a positive moment early in the spring semester.