Almost everyone in the metro-Atlanta area was affected in some way by the snowstorm last Tuesday, Jan. 28, but many Kennesaw students faced the bitter cold with a warm welcome and a true display of southern hospitality.
KSU announced around 11 a.m. Tuesday that the campus was closing at 1 p.m. due to the inclement weather, but by that time the roads were already iced over and traffic was at a standstill. Many students, like senior and theatre and performance studies major Abbey Faith Sanders, sat in their cars for several hours without moving.
“I was in the car from 11:30 a.m. until 3:40 p.m., and my commute is usually only 20 minutes,” Sanders said. “I decided to pull my car off to the side of the road, because I knew there was no way my two-wheel drive Camry was going to make it home.”
After another two hours of walking, Sanders finally made it home safely. Some students lived on campus and were actually able to enjoy the rarity of the snow.
“I went out sliding on a pizza pan with some of my friends,” said Zachary Baxter, a sophomore and business management major. “I got a lot of studying finished, as well as playing a lot of Xbox 360.”
Baxter did worry, however, about his parents, who were back home in Hiram, Ga. “My mom was stuck at work due to the heavy traffic and snow/ice on the roads. My father attempted to pick up my mom; however, the truck failed on him when he was driving up a hill.” Thankfully, an old friend was able to pick up both of his parents and take them home by the end of the night.
With so many cars abandoned and hundreds of people trapped in their vehicles on the highways, many good samaritans came to the aid of travelers.
Alek Searcy, a junior studying international business, went out with his roommates to help cars that were stuck in the ice. “They brought shovels and kitty litter and we all collectively tried to help commuters get home throughout Tuesday evening,” Searcy said. “Many had been in their cars for four to six hours by that time.”
Other students decided to help out by lifting spirits. Jasmine Simmons and Deborah Jones went with friends to a local Dunkin Donuts, bought five dozen doughnuts, and made several cups of hot chocolate and coffee. “While we were carrying the donuts and coffee to the highway to pass out to the people who had been stuck on the highway, we met some other KSU students who were passing out water and granola bars so we just joined in with them,” said Simmons, a junior and communications major.
“It was a very rewarding experience,” said Jones, a junior studying middle grades education. “Everyone was really appreciative of what we were doing.”
Despite the harsh conditions and general unpreparedness for such weather, strangers came to the aid of others without hesitation.
“It felt great to be part of something spontaneous with a lot of strangers,” said Searcy. “We were definitely making a difference.”
In the face of this emergency, several KSU students, as well as hundreds of people across the Atlanta area, proved the true meaning of southern hospitality.
