It’s that time of the year again—winter is here! Knowing northwest Arkansas’ climate, it tends to spontaneously dump snow and ice on our campus, and although this is a nice, unexpected break, it does come with its drawbacks. By reading the information provided below, you and your student can be more prepared to tackle winter, especially if this is their first time experiencing a true winter climate.
When the University of Arkansas officially closes campus due to inclement weather, students, faculty, staff and community members are notified via RazAlert if they are signed up. Your student should ensure that they are signed up for RazAlert through their ISIS account. Once your student does this, they will receive emergency text messages, phone calls, and/or e-mails from the University, no matter what the situation. As a parent, you can also have your student sign you up to receive these updates as well through their ISIS account. However, it is extremely important that your student remains the primary contact as they are the ones that are closest to campus and closest to what is happening.
When there is bad weather, students also need to be prepared to stay in, as driving and road conditions may not be the best due to ice or snow. Having food on hand is a must, in case your student does not feel like getting out in the cold weather to go to the dining hall. I suggest keeping easy snack foods and meals on hand that they can make in their residence hall. Many food items that people typically keep within their residence halls throughout the year will work just fine, but if there is bad weather coming, your student may want to go stock up sooner than later to ensure that they do not have to leave their room. Some easy suggestions are bread and sandwich meat, granola bars, fresh fruit, easy mac and soup.
It is also important that they have a few things in their car to make sure they are prepared. Encourage your student to get an ice scraper, a snow brush and a can or bottle of de-icer spray. Your student should remember to be very careful when driving with inclement weather, specifically if they are not accustomed to this type of weather. Remind them to drive slower and be cautious of any ice that may be on the road, whether they can see it or not.
Regardless of whether there is snow on the ground or if temperatures are just really cold, your student should definitely make sure to bundle up before heading outside. I often see students walking without coats and closed toed shoes, so remind your students to be prepared. They should have a pea coat or fleece, some rain/snow boots, and maybe a scarf, beanie, and set of gloves depending on how cold it is.
Now that all the most important information has been relayed, it is important that your students have fun on snow days too! I personally enjoy the hot chocolate (with marshmallows) that I get to have during the winter, especially on snow days. It is a great way to relax and just enjoy the break. From my experience of not having class for at least a week last winter, I did get bored very quickly. However, since winter weather typically occurs before finals, I took the time to make friends in my residence hall and try to form study groups for a couple of hours a day while there was nothing happening on campus. This kept me up to date on all of my classwork and helped pass the time in a productive way. After studying, the same group of us played a few board games or cards together. A lot of students will also enjoy just catching up on lost sleep and maybe watching reruns of their favorite TV shows. If your student wants to get out and explore the winter wonderland in Northwest Arkansas, encourage them to venture with friends to Old Main Lawn. It is a fun time to play some football, build a snowman, or even take advantage of why we are called “The Hill” and go sledding! The hills on campus can be very dangerous so remind them to take it slow!
There are a lot of possibilities on snow days, but remind your student that their safety comes first. Sometimes it is best for them to stay in their rooms to ensure that they are warm and safe. If your student does go exploring on campus, make sure that they have a buddy with them and their phone handy.
Kelly Wilkinson is a junior nursing major from Katy, TX. In addition to be a Parent Ambassador, she is a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Global Greeks, and Razor Runners here at the University of Arkansas.
Silna Victor is a Sophomore English/Creative Writing major from Cape Town, Western Cape. In addition to being a Parent Ambassador, she is involved with many international student initiatives and organizations around campus.