UTM students spirits remained high despite the inclement weather.
Ice and snow stuck to the ground from January 12th to the 17th was deemed unsafe for students to attend classes or administration to come into work. Administration made the decision January 17th that classes would begin again on January 18th but with some early morning classes delayed.
Despite the weather, however, students were seen enjoying the snow. Sleds were pulled, snowmen were built, snowmen were smashed, cars were stuck in the ice, people were assisted by their generous neighbors and UTM students enjoyed warm food provided by Sodexo and a game night hosted by UTM Housing.
During the Martin Luther King Junior holiday, the food services for Sodexo remained open. In past years these services have not always been available to UTM students. According to Ken Bullock, the general manager of UTM’s sodexo food services, “Sodexo is contracted to serve a set amount of days during the school year.”
Bullock says that when he arrived at UTM in April of 2017, one of the first discussions he had with the administrator John Abel was the opening of the food services provided by Sodexo in the January months and closing for the MLK holiday weekend.
Since this concerned many parents of UTM students, Abel and Bullock discussed opening the UTM food services during the MLK holiday weekend and accepting students Captain Cash, Skyhawk Silver, credit cards and cash as a compromise to the contract. Bullock says that decision was finalized sometime in September of 2017.
The UTM housing sent out an e-mail to students early in the afternoon of Jan. 17 about a game night hosted at 6:00 pm in the Ellington Hall closed lobby. Students gathered to play board games, and an epic game of Cards Against Humanity with fellow students and Resident Assistants.
