Brown and White Vol. 128 no. 2

              The Brown and White
Vol. 128 No. 2
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
‘All the Lehigh News First’
Lehigh’s campus is known for hav­ing numerous stairs and hills, which often pose difficulties in the winter months when inclement weather becomes an issue.
According to Gary Falasca, direc­tor of Facility Services, the universi­ty has five levels of winter weather conditions that dictate who reports to work when there is a delayed
Transportation Services is com­mitted to keeping students safe and providing quality service with their Take a Ride Around Campus Safely program, better known as T.R.A.C.S.
“Safety is paramount,” said Robert Bruneio, manager of Transportation Services. “We wouldn’t hire anyone with any issues.”
All the employees who work for Transportation Services begin the hiring process with initial back­ground checks.
Once they select the best pool of candidates, they are put through drug and alcohol testing, Bruneio said.
T.R.A.C.S. is an important part of the Lehigh community because it provides an alternative method of transportation around campus that is safe, especially late at night.
The T.R.A.C.S. program started in September of 1987 for safety purposes.
“We had several incidents, both on and off campus, with stu­dents being victims of crime, rob­bery, burglary, things like that,” Bruneio said.
They wanted to put an extra service and provide a safe ride around campus, and a safe way of doing so, said Bruneio.
When T.R.A.C.S. first started, there was only one van operating, with less-consistent hours. The reason for the increase in the number of vans was an increase in ridership.
“The demand was certainly there,” Bruneio said.
Now there are two vans that operate from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Lehigh follows winter weather protocol
Zhuojun Xiao/B&W Staff
Raymond Brinker, a T.R.A.C.S. driver, makes the rounds to the 21 stops on campus Jan. 17 in the T.R.A.C.S. van. The T.R.A.C.S. service provides a transportation system that gives students a safe alternative to walking around campus late at night.
By EMILY LAN
B&W Staff
start, early closing or full closure.
Falasca said in an email that employees are classified into three categories. They are classified as essential services, instructional staff and non-instructional staff. Essential services staff are defined as those needed to deliver services to students and maintain campus safety, security and facilities.
“Provost (Pat Farrell) has the ulti­mate authority to delay opening, suspend operations or close the uni­versity,” Falasca said. “The director of (Facilities Services) advises the Provost on weather conditions and the ability of contractors to manage the removal operation both during and after a winter weather event.”
Falasca said there are four con­tractors under agreement for snow and ice removal, and each is in charge of a specific area of campus. A company called DDR provides all plowing and salting operations for campus roads and parking lots. Brickman addresses walkways, steps and building entrances on Goodman, Mountaintop and Packer campuses. U.S. Lawns handles walkways, steps and entrances for residence halls. And finally, Fenstys Restoration Services handles walk­ways, steps and entrances in Sayre Park.
“First and foremost, the personal safety and well-being of our cam­pus community members is of par­amount importance and it factors heavily into the decision of whether we keep the university open or close it in adverse weather,” said Janele
By PERRI WERTHEIMER
B&W StaffINSIDE | A new housing op­tion allows budding entre­preneurs to collaborate.
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T.R.A.C.S. drivers help
students get home safely at night
Lehigh did not cancel classes for the recent snow­storm, but weather is an issue on the hilly, stair-filled campus.
Inside Lifestyle