SEMO students’ express concerns over icy campus conditions

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – College students are speaking out after they say the winter weather is creating some safety concerns.

As of yesterday, class was back in session for SEMO’s Cape campus, but students tell me they’re not so sure it should be after they expressed concern over icy conditions.

Hunter Heimburger is a student at Southeast Missouri State University, who works and lives on SEMO’s Cape Girardeau campus. He and multiple other students on campus reported icy spots, falling and overall safety concerns while going to class after SEMO made the decision to resume in person learning on Tuesday January 28th following an ice storm that hit the area over weekend.  

“I went to work yesterday morning, and I almost slipped and fell multiple times” says Heimburger. “Some of our sidewalks are extremely icy and whatever they melted yesterday has now re-frozen and turned into just regular ice or black ice that’s extremely hard to see.” 

Heimburger says he reached out to Semo’s President Dr. Brad Hodson expressing his concerns. We also reached out to SEMO for comment by email and they stated “Southeast Missouri State University’s first priority is the safety of students. When our crews report primary campus routes and walkways are ready, we have an obligation to deliver the education students are paying for.” But many students say they feel like class should not have been in session yesterday.

“Yesterday, with me slipping, I was like, we should not have had in person classes yesterday” says Heimburger.