From witnessing a first snowfall to taking a first sledding trip down a legendary campus hill, snow and ice help build community among the student body.
by Duane Bonifer
COLUMBIA, KY. (01/27/2026) Lindsey Wilson University student Maria Eduarda ’28 had never experienced snow until last weekend.
And her first experience exceeded expectations.
Eduarda, who is a biology major from Belo Horizonte Brazil, was among several hundred Lindsey Wilson students who enjoyed a winter wonderland and unplanned day off as more than three inches of snow were spread over the university’s A.P. White Campus over the weekend.
The storm, which finished off with a layer of ice before ushering in frigid temperatures, closed the campus and canceled classes on Monday, Jan. 26. The campus remained closed on Tuesday, Jan. 27, but classes were held virtually.
“It was my dream,” said Eduarda, who sent pictures of the campus to her family members in Brazil, where it is the middle of summer in the Southern Hemisphere. “It was more pretty than I thought it would be. The trees, with ice, were so pretty.”
The ice that decorated campus trees helped bring down several limbs and branches, but by mid-Monday morning, the university’s physical plant staff, who worked throughout the weekend, had cleared most that had fallen onto sidewalks and in parking lots, along with the snow and ice.
The physical plant staff’s attention to the campus sidewalks and parking lots impressed the several Lindsey Wilson students who remained on campus through the weekend.
“They did a really good job,” said Levi Wade ’28, a psychophysiology major from Crestwood, Kentucky. “All of the sidewalks were pretty clean.”
Wade said he was especially grateful that the Roberta D. Cranmer Dining & Conference Center staff ensured the building was open during its regular operating hours and students did not miss a scheduled meal.
“It was nice having the caf open,” he said. “You can’t make too many meals back in the dorm.”
Lindsey Wilson Dean of Students Chris Schmidt said it was “incredible” to see the university’s physical plant and dining center staff members in action throughout the weekend.
“They made sure our students were taken care of all weekend long,” said Schmidt. “Seeing our physical plant staff and dining center staff in action the last couple of days has been incredible.”
Schmidt noted that the university public safety and residence life staff members also worked throughout the weekend.
“People still need help all weekend — they get locked out of their rooms and need assistance with other things that come up,” said Schmidt. “And some of our students were experiencing a winter storm for their first time away from home, so our residence life staff was there to assist them.”
The thrill and excitement of Keefe Hall hill
Student Ernest Opoku Jr. ’29 of Accra, Ghana, also experienced snow for the first time. The sustainability and environmental studies major judged the snow to be “quite good.”
“It’s interesting to see this weather,” said Opkou, who is a member of the men’s soccer program.
His teammate Tyson Ndlovu ’29 of Johannesburg, South Africa, saw snow for the first time in many years.
“It once snowed in South Africa, but it was years ago,” said Ndlovu, a business administration major. “It’s pretty interesting to see. It’s nice weather, but pretty cold. Just seeing it is interesting and cool.”
In addition to experiencing snow for the first time, some Lindsey Wilson students also experienced a school tradition for the first time — sledding down the hill behind Keefe Hall, which runs behind the west goal of Walter S. Reuling Stadium. In the early fall, a water slide is held on the steep hill during Malvina Farkle Day, the university’s annual day of service.
Students took advantage of other campus slopes throughout the weekend, but the hill behind Keefe Hall is to sledding at Lindsey Wilson what Austria’s Streif is to alpine skiing.
An opportunity to slide down a snow-covered Keefe Hall hill was a reason Whitley Gibson ’27 decided to remain on campus during the winter storm. Gibson, whose parents brought her coveralls to campus shortly before the winter storm arrived, was among dozens of Lindsey Wilson students who sledded down the hill on Saturday night.
“It was good because it hadn’t gotten super icy yet,” said Gibson, a media studies and human services and counseling double major from Edmonton, Kentucky.
Gibson said that while there’s a big difference between going down a hill on a water slide and one packed with snow, the end result is similar — a lot of fun.
“I had gone down Keefe hill as a water slide on Malvina Farkle Day before, but never sledding,” she said. “It was definitely as much fun as I thought it would be.”
Emma Ekbundit ’28 sledded down Keefe Hall hill on Sunday night, when it was glazed over by a layer of ice.
“It was fun,” said Ekbundit, a nursing major from Mount Washington, Kentucky. “It was kind of painful though because it was kind of icy. But it was a lot of fun.”
Jenesis Bowling ’29 was another LWU student who enjoyed the thrill and excitement of sledding down the hill behind Keefe Hill. She said the experience “was great, but halfway through the sled was not under me.”
“I was the sled,” said Bowling, a business administration with emphasis in human resources from Taylorsville, Kentucky, who went down the hill on Saturday night.
Bowling also learned that it’s not a good idea to attempt to “skate up a hill” in a pair of Ugg boots.
“Let’s just say I’m a little broken right now,” she said.
Unplugging, building community
With classes canceled on Monday, many students reported that they took advantage of the unplanned three-day weekend by sleeping longer or watching extra TV. Others, such as Jordan McIntyre ’28, a psychophysiology major from Louisville, Kentucky, used part of Monday as a study day.
“Besides, I would rather spend the extra time here with my friends than be stuck at home,” he said.
Anna Kate Alexander ’29 said the winter storm also allowed students to break away from digital devices and enjoy more human interactions. One night during the winter storm, she and friends gathered in Phillips Hall to play card and board games.
“I’m just trying not to spend too much time on electronics and spending that time instead with my friends,” said Alexander, an elementary education major from Glasgow, Kentucky, who said she also read a book over the weekend. “I think the snow just gives everyone a good opportunity to be off their phones. It’s nice to do something else — like work out, read a book, hang out with your friends.”
Gibson said she noticed how the winter storm encouraged students to break out of what sometimes seem like electronic cocoons and interact more with one another. She said she observed that on Saturday night when she and her friends arrived at the sledding hill behind Keefe Hall.
“There were a bunch of other students there, and that really spoke to the community of Lindsey Wilson,” said Gibson.
Lindsey Wilson University students Skyler Randolph ’29 of Fort Myers, Florida, left, and Breanna Turnbaugh ’29 of Louisville, Kentucky, sled down the hill next to the John B. Begley Chapel on Monday, Jan. 26. The weekend’s winter storm closed Lindsey Wilson offices and canceled classes on Monday.
Lindsey Wilson University student Breanna Turnbaugh ’29 of Louisville, Kentucky, uses a lid for a plastic tub to sled down the hill next to the John B. Begley Chapel on Monday, Jan. 26. The weekend’s winter storm closed Lindsey Wilson offices and canceled classes on Monday.
This group of Lindsey Wilson University students said the weekend winter storm that closed university offices and canceled classes on Monday also brought students together. They used part of the weekend to unplug from digital devices and play card and board games. From left: Alexis Santamaria ’26 of Valencia, Spain; Jenesis Bowling ’29 of Taylorsville, Kentucky; Aidyn Weingartner ’28 of Shelbyville, Kentucky; Mckenzie Capps ’29 of London, Kentucky; Anna Kate Alexander ’29 of Glasgow, Kentucky; and Jordan McIntyre ’28 of Louisville, Kentucky.
Travis Brown of Lindsey Wilson University Physical Plant Operations clears the parking lot behind the university’s R.B. Fenley Building on Monday, Jan. 26. The weekend’s winter storm closed Lindsey Wilson offices and canceled classes on Monday, but the university’s physical plant staff members worked throughout the weekend to keep campus sidewalks and parking lots clear for students living on campus.
Lindsey Wilson University is a vibrant liberal arts university in Columbia, Kentucky. Founded in 1903 and affiliated with The United Methodist Church, the mission of Lindsey Wilson is to serve the educational needs of students by providing a living-learning environment within an atmosphere of active caring and Christian concern where every student, every day, learns and grows and feels like a real human being. Lindsey Wilson offers 28 undergraduate majors, five graduate programs and a doctoral program. The university’s 29 intercollegiate varsity athletic teams have won more than 120 team and individual national championships.
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(Duane Bonifer – Lindsey Wilson University)