Muncie's winter weather injured at least eight Ball State University students during the first week of Spring Semester.
Dr. Kent Bullis from the Amelia T. Health Center said students had bruises, sprains and one broken arm. No injuries were reported at the same time last year, Bullis said.
Mike Planton, associate director for landscape and environmental management, said the university has specific plans for dealing with snow removal.
When classes are in session, Planton said the Ball State grounds crew's priority was clearing pathways around residence halls and campus buildings. When students aren't on campus, the focus changes to accommodate professors' needs.
Planton said last week's weather caused several problems for the crew. With so much continuous snowfall, he said, it was difficult to keep up with the rapid accumulation.
"As long as [the snow] is still falling, all you're doing is running in place," Planton said.
Last week's low temperatures also meant a more expensive chemical, calcium chloride, was needed to effectively melt the ice. Planton said rock salt, a common ice melting product, was ineffective when used in temperatures below 15 degrees.
Local apartment complexes have also taken steps to keep their residents safe from the slippery conditions.
Tina Mays, manager of Windermere Place, said the complex has spent around $2,000 since the first snowfall of the season on snow and ice removal. Mays and Jessica Riggle, manager of Forest Oaks Apartments, agreed a minimum of two inches of snowfall requires plowing.
Riggle said the cost of ice melting products has risen in the past few years due to shortages.
Planton said the price of rock salt has doubled this year, to about $145 a ton.
Riggle said Forest Oaks spends about $1,800 a year on ice melting, and another $2,000 to $3,000 on plowing.
Ryan Wilson, manager of American Collegiate Communities, said the company doesn't have a set requirement for snow removal on its seven properties in Muncie, but that the staff is conscious of keeping areas clean.
"We always work diligently to get all the areas cleaned off," Wilson said.
He also noticed fluctuations in the price of snow melting products, Wilson said, but the price hasn't affected the company's purchases.
"It's just like gas," Wilson said. "If you have to have it, you have to have it."
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