Facilities Planning and Management tries to prepare for the winter weather season each year, but preparing for Tuesday's storm was near impossible, associate director for Landscape and Environment Management Mike Planton said.
"As long as it continues to rain, we cannot place any ice melting products on the pavements because they will just dissolve and run down the drain," he said at about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
Muncie was expected to get 2 to 4 inches of snow by this morning. The area was under a winter weather advisory from 1 p.m. until 1 a.m.
The National Weather Service said the heavy rain turned into snow by Tuesday late afternoon.
Although the changing weather will make it difficult for university employees to combat the snowy conditions, Planton said all snow equipment would be ready by the end of Tuesday.
"Our employees are seasoned veterans and know their areas for removal," Planton said.
Planton is confident in the proposed actions, but he said he is aware of the criticism that many students feel toward how the university handles snow removal.
"Although everyone likes to call our brooms the ‘ice polishers,' sweeping is the fastest method we have for removing snow," Planton said. "By sweeping, we will prevent the snow from sticking and [this will] allow us to apply ice melting products once the snow quits."
Planton said that he and his employees planned on staying until around 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday to make sure everyone could get home safely after evening events on campus.
Even though Planton said they would decide how early they would start plowing in the morning late Tuesday night, crews were seen clearing snow from sidewalks on Tuesday evening.
Last year, Muncie's first snow came on Dec. 1, according to Ball State Daily News reports. Snow and ice covered the roads in central Indiana, and wrecks were reported on I-69. Classes have been canceled a handful of times in the last few years.
According to Daily News reports, classes were canceled on Feb. 13, 2007, Jan. 28, 2009, and last season, classes were canceled for two half days. On Feb. 1, they were canceled after 3:30 p.m., and on Feb. 2, they were canceled before 11 a.m.
Vice President for Business Affairs Randy Howard and other campus officials decide if conditions warrant a cancellation, according to Daily News reports.
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