Editorial | Students demonstrate resilience despite snowstorm

Illustration by RUPALI INGLE, Illustrator

Nearly every state in the U.S. battled freezing temperatures last week.

Across the country, winter storms blew through Southern and Central states, leaving millions without power. Texas has been especially hard-hit, facing life-threatening weather as inches of snow and ice caused power outages, burst pipes and a lack of access to clean water. Residents in such circumstances — not including Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), who flew to Cancun Feb. 17 and then used his daughters as a scapegoat for abandoning his state — hunkered down to try to outlast the cold front.

Students living in these states are fighting two battles: the unrelenting weather and the pandemic. With Chapman University curriculum remaining online until hybrid lectures may be reintroduced March 29, many students this past week struggled to catch up with missed classes due to failed internet connections. 

In the midst of such adversity, this time has spotlighted the sheer resilience of so many Chapman community members. We’ve seen our fellow peers stay active in Zoom classes until their power goes out — to which some would then rejoin via phone call and cellular data. A number of students were bundled up in coats and hats as they discussed last week’s homework, and once off-camera, they would help their families shovel snow to boil and drink or have water to flush their toilets. 

Despite all that this past year has put us through, students keep fighting back. Here are some of their perspectives: 

Each response to the snowstorm has been lightly edited for clarity and stylistic standards.

Photo courtesy of Michael Masakayan, freshman computer science major

From Houston, Texas: Charlie Posey, sophomore film production major

We were largely without power Monday to Thursday after it froze. We still have no consistent running water (and what we have isn’t drinkable). I haven’t had Wi-Fi or data access, and when we haven’t had power, it’s been around 50 degrees inside. I’m lucky to have a fireplace and gas stove. However, some have it far worse; it’s crazy out here.

I’ve had to skip four classes this week just because I had no internet access, and I was unable to even tell the professors because of that. I had to get a text through to a friend asking her to email them my situation. I’ve been trying to get homework done, but limited power and Zoom are an awful mix. I feel very behind; luckily, most of my professors were sympathetic.

I’d like to add that I’m in an incredibly lucky, privileged position. People without homes are freezing, dying and having to seek shelter. Hospitals have filled up with cases of carbon monoxide poisoning, people are walking to find water coming out of the ground just to drink and many have died so far. The power company is barely telling us anything and the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state’s power grid, is obviously hiding something. The whole situation screams corruption and secrets and is the result of Texas deregulating power and refusing to join the U.S. power grid. Republicans are trying to blame wind power and the Green New Deal (which hasn’t even been instantiated), when the problem is actually almost entirely in coal and natural gas production. The greed of the GOP is costing lives, and we aren’t receiving much aid or transparency. This is really dire.

From Cincinnati, Ohio: Annie Mullee, class of 2019, English and music double major

We are lucky we haven’t lost power, but roads are not good. Abandoned cars line the highway and I can only assume that meant there were a lot of stranded motorists during the storm. I was one of them. 

My car spun out on my way home from work (Luckily, I was not on the highway) and my poor dad had to wake up at 1 a.m. to get me. We pushed the car so it was as out of the way as possible, all while snow soaked our socks through our shoes. 

Photo courtesy of Ella Grove, junior sociology major

From Bethesda, Maryland: Ella Grove, junior sociology major

We got some snow earlier this year, but we’re used to it. Today (Feb. 18), there was sleet all day, so my work shift was canceled and I wasn’t able to leave the house. We still have power. Thankfully, Maryland isn’t being hit nearly as hard as the South is. It’s basically a normal winter here for us (slightly icier though). 

I’m actually not taking any classes this semester because of how difficult online classes were for me to begin with, but I’m currently working full-time. Work has been canceled a few times, but we’ve never lost power. I can only imagine how impossible online school is for students living in states more impacted right now.

From Dallas, Texas: Mauricio Vazquez, sophomore television writing and production major

My family and I still have electricity and heat, so the cold hasn't been too bad. The only real challenges we've faced are that our water has been shut off for days. It's been hard to manage classes with the snowstorm, because while I still have Wi-Fi to do classwork, it's really hard to stay focused.

Photo courtesy of Lauryn Johnson, sophomore television writing and production major

From Olympia, Washington: Lauryn Johnson, freshman public relations and advertising major

Our storm maxed out at about nine inches of snow, which caused my job to close for a couple days. My next paycheck will be smaller, but I appreciated having the time to catch up on school. I didn’t have to deal with anything too difficult this year, but during power outages I typically use mobile Microsoft and Canvas apps to communicate with professors and complete assignments. Though Wi-Fi was down, cell data was still up.

From Austin, Texas: Michael Masakayan, freshman computer science major 

My roommates and I were pretty much stuck in our home for the past six days. Most stores and businesses were shut down and all of the roads were too dangerous to drive on. My roommate at one point tried to get food at a local fast food chain that still had power. He had to wait in line for three hours until eventually they ran out of food. When we finally went to a grocery store yesterday, all of the produce was gone and there was no refrigerated food.

Photo courtesy of Michael Masakayan, freshman computer science major

We just got internet services again today (Feb. 19). And as of three days ago, we have been told to boil our water because the water treatment plant lost power. Although I didn’t lose power, many of my close friends had no power or water for a few days. 

But it has gotten better. Temperatures are rising and the ice is melting, so the roads are safe to use again. And it seems like most of the people I know who lost power have it again now.

Honestly, I haven’t been balancing (my workload). My internet has been out. My priority for the past few days has just been staying safe and being prepared. But I’m excited to be able to get back to classes and not have to worry about this anymore.