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The two-day campus closing caused by the blizzard of 2026 kept university authorities busy.
According to Timothy Fox, university police chief, the storm resulted in a two-day shutdown on Feb. 23 and Feb. 24 to allow sufficient snow and ice removal.
“Although snowfall tapered off Monday [Feb. 23],” Fox said, “the accumulation of over 20 inches made it difficult for facilities staff to fully restore parking lots, secondary roadways, and walkways to safe conditions.”
Workers clear snow from the outer Student Center steps after the blizzard on Feb. 25. Thomas Boud | The Montclarion Photo credit: Thomas Boud
Fox explained snow removal is more than just clearing roads. It involves widening lanes, clearing intersections and ensuring accessible pathways across campus.
Fox shared drivers who were compliant with winter storm parking lot bans “significantly helped” campus snow removal efforts. Noting “the majority of students” removed their vehicles from surface parking lots before snowfall.
“However, even a small number of vehicles left in surface lots slows plowing operations,” Fox said. “Tracking down vehicle owners takes time and delays cleanup.”
The chief said the storm-time parking prohibition in open-air lots is important for smooth snow removal operations.
A small loader deposits scooped up snow at the north edge of the Student Center Quad on Feb. 25. Thomas Boud | The Montclarion
According to Fox, the university police mobilized extra resources on overtime to maintain sufficient storm-time coverage. Sharing that supplemental personnel enabled quick response times to all police matters.
“This allows us to respond to increased call volume be prepared for possible evacuations,” Fox said. “And gives us more flexibility if we need to require officers to stay into the next operational period.”
The chief said he was on the university police’s front line during the blizzard.
Photo credit: Thomas Boud
“I activated our Emergency Operations Center at 3 p.m., Sunday [Feb. 22],” Fox said. “And remained at headquarters managing the response through 9 p.m. Monday night [Feb. 23] throughout the storm, I was regularly in the field checking conditions, and I traveled between the Montclair and Bloomfield campuses multiple times.”
Fox said he was “in consistent contact” with senior university leadership during the storm. Giving administrators updates on blizzard-related activity concerning the university.
The chief said campus law enforcement handled additional tasks.
Adding fire alarms and immobilized vehicles were the most reoccurring issues. Sharing that stuck cars posed hazards to motorists along with slick surface sliding vehicles.
“We also addressed an altercation between roommates, conducted routine building and alarm checks,” Fox said. “And carried out proactive patrols to monitor infrastructure and overall campus conditions.”
Fox said no major electricity, heating system or elevator failures occurred during the storm.
“Honestly, in my opinion, it was not as bad as the last one,” Dailey Burke, junior accounting major, said, referring to the snowstorm that occurred earlier in February. Thomas Boud | The Montclarion
Dailey Burke, a junior accounting major, stated his opinion about the winter tempest.
“Honestly, in my opinion, it was not as bad as the last one,” Burke said, referring to the snowstorm that occurred earlier in February. “Even though we were shut down for two days by my house, where there was about two feet or so, the snow was a lot easier to shovel.”
Burke said he did not expect a two-day university shutdown.
“I wasn’t here on campus,” Burke said. “I was kind of surprised that we were closed for two days. Monday, I was like, ‘Okay, one day,’ but Tuesday, I was genuinely surprised.”
“I was stuck on campus which meant there wasn’t a lot of food open,” sophomore elementary education major Lita Lindquist said. Thomas Boud | The Montclarion
Lita Lindquist, a sophomore elementary education major, said she had tough time riding out the blizzard in her Dinallo Hall room.
“I was stuck on campus which meant there wasn’t a lot of food open,” Lindquist said. “I kind of had to rely on everything in my mini fridge which got really difficult towards the end of it, so it was like a good three days honestly of nothing being open.”
Lindquist shared how she attempted to get groceries with friends.
“We ended up having to run out and try to get food in her car,” Lindquist said. “She popped a tire. It was really unfortunate. There was kind of no way for us to get around for the rest of the weekend.”
Lindquist was also shocked by the university closure.
“Especially, by Tuesday, I don’t think it needed to be closed,” Lindquist said. “It seemed like everybody was pretty able to get around. It was sunny outside. It wasn’t snowing anymore.”
