As a university, the student body is made up of people from all over, not just northern Michigan natives. One of the most shocking things for some is how harsh the winter can get. Marquette has already experienced its first snow of the season. And while it might not have stuck around too long, it’s only a matter of time before the next snowfall will occur.

Bikes and vehicles are the most convenient ways of personal travel for students, but can sometimes also be the most inconvenient and the weather begins to bury them.

Housing and Residence Life works with the NMU Police and Grounds departments to give students the option of bike storage on campus. The movable racks on campus are removed every year before the start of Thanksgiving recess, despite if bikes are still attached. To prevent the loss of a bike, students can either hang their bikes from the stationary racks, if the bike isn’t registered or still in use, or bike storage is also available. Spooner Hall offers winter housing for bikes in the basement for safe storage, said Andrew Snitka, resident director of Spooner Hall and the on-campus apartments.

Spooner Hall is located between the Art and Design building and the Northern Center. Students are asked to enter through the south entrance, which is the middle set of doors facing the Northern Center. There, students can check in their bike to store, as long as it is registered through the NMU Police department and they live on campus. If the bike isn’t registered, students can still do so on MyNMU, said Snitka.

“Usually about 200 students check in their bike every season. We store probably in total about 300 bikes for the winter,” said Snitka.

Removal of these racks clear more room for the Grounds department to ensure the best plow for safety said Sgt. Jon Kovar, of NMU’s Police department. Closer to Thanksgiving, a plowing schedule will be released for campus parking lots. Students living on-campus will receive an email with the schedule and are asked to adhere to it, moving their vehicles to an alternate parking lot for a night so the grounds crew can plow easier and faster through the nigh,t said Kovar.

The city of Marquette also enforces a street parking ban to help with plowing. Vehicles are not allowed to park overnight from 1 a.m. to 6 a.m., effective Nov. 1 until April 1.

With the efforts to keep the streets clear, driving safety is something that should always be in mind but the roads can get snowy and icy, limiting travel.

“Slow down and expect it’s going to take you longer to get to your destination when the roads are slippery and snow covered,” says Kovar. “We can’t really predict but we always expect to get quite a bit of snow. When it comes, it comes. We have to deal with it, be careful and take our time.”