Students got a unique opportunity to explore the campus in a new shade of wintry white this Friday as a snowstorm took over Tuscaloosa. The University canceled Friday’s classes and suspended normal operations following a winter storm alert from the National Weather Service on Thursday afternoon.
Early Friday morning, Tuscaloosa was blanketed in two inches of snow, with one inch coating the hallowed arches of Bryant-Denny Stadium. Some students stayed up until the early hours of the morning to experience the initial dustings, starting at around 3 a.m. The flurries lasted only an hour or two before thawing into a light rain, but the snow left on campus stuck around for a bit longer.
“I took fun photos when it was falling early this morning, at like 4 or 5,” said Zach West, a freshman majoring in biology. Later in the day, he and Vivian Costigan, a freshman majoring in anthropology, decided to build a snowman on the Student Center Lawn.
“I’ve actually never made a snowman before because we never really have enough of it [snow],” Costigan said, citing the lack of proper winter weather in her home state, Tennessee.
West said that despite his struggling without winter gear, the snow was a perfect opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.
Other students echoed similar concerns about being ill-equipped for the weather. Izzy Bergeron, a freshman majoring in mechanical engineering, said this weather would only call for snow boots and thick jackets and not a full shutdown if she were back home in New Jersey.
Bergeron was part of a group building a snowman on the Quad. Anna Barkey, a junior majoring in neuroscience, and her friend joined in on the construction project after venturing across campus. Barkey was enthused to see all of her favorite spots on campus in the snowy conditions.
“My mom FaceTimed me this morning to get to see how excited I was about the snow,” Barkey said. “She’s like, ‘your 3-year-old self comes out whenever you see snow.’ I just wake up, and I’m determined that I’m going to have a great day.”
Barkey said this storm was the biggest snow of her adult life.
Students gathered across the Quad throughout the day, throwing snowballs and amassing a small army of frosty figures. An especially large snowman guarded the staircase to Gorgas Library, flanked by some smaller snowy friends that melted throughout the day.
The gigantic snowman even had the honor of being photographed with Big Al, who rode onto the Quad in his chariot-like golf cart to the tune of “Let It Go.” Students got in on the fun, too, crowding around Big Al for photo-ops as he made his way across the Quad.
“We’re having a great time,” Barkey said. “You get to meet new people and make new friends when the whole campus shuts down for snow days. It’s exciting for everyone.”
