As we reach mid- September the air has cooled faster than usual, and the summer drought appears to be over. The rain has been coming down sporadically this past week in Wichita Falls and we have begun the transition into a cool crisp fall.
You will never find a person who loves autumn as much as this girl, but even I cringe when I think about what is about to come on the MSU campus. And I’m not talking about the pumpkin coffee at the bookstore.
That’s right, I am talking flooding! And I’m not talking about a few puddles after a slight rain. I mean flooding so bad your knees will be underwater.
If this is not your first semester at MSU, you know how bad the flooding can get all across campus.
As you continue reading, you will be reliving some of your own personal memories that left you face down in a puddle feeling the same way I’m feeling right now. Enraged! Let’s take a minute and remember all the footwear fallen to the MSU flooding. You laugh, but more people are affected by this horrible devastation than one would think.
For those who are just starting out here, you need to invest in some rain boots. It is one of the most important things you will need to buy this fall.
I cannot tell you how many pairs of shoes I have said good-bye to due to the aftermath of rain during my time at MSU. This campus is notorious for flooding. The streets, the sidewalks, and even the buildings. It is no joke.
Many of you have noticed the new green space between Clark Student Center and Killingsworth. It is currently guarded off to keep students from tracking across the grass and destroying the universities hefty new investment. The previously paved area was surrounded by some of the worst flooding across campus.
It will be interesting to see if the problem was resolved during construction.
Only after a hellacious storm will we be able to see if any of the low zones previously known to flood have been fixed or will this area continue to be a swampland.
Lucky for you, I know all the places you are definitely going to want to avoid.
The sidewalk to Dillard along the Martin Library will leave you swimming to class. The picnic area between Killingsworth and Piece Hall, heading toward the parking lot designated for both halls and McCullough-Trigg has a wet history. Another place to look out for is right across from Pierce Hall directly in front of the CSC by the cafeteria, it has had a way of ruining a day or two in the past as a result of high floodwaters.
Regardless, if you avoid those locations I assure you, many more unavoidable spots are out there waiting for you.
In recent years, many projects have been going on all around campus, yet flooding, time and time again has been deemed a low priority.
Nothing is worst than wet feet all day because you were drenched on your way to class, except maybe wet feet when it is 35 degrees outside.
Be prepared for this cold wet winter. But more than just rain boots, make it known to administration how impossible the walk across campus can be in the cold, wet months.
Students do not have the luxury of a reserved front row parking spot at their building.
And because parking is so competitive on this campus, some students are walking from one end of the university to the opposite end, fearful if they drive to their next class there will not be any parking spots anyway.
Students living on campus have it even worse. That long walk from Sundance all the way to Dillard in the rain can almost feel criminal.
Two questions they could ask themselves, should I risk the ticket or trek the long journey?
It wouldn’t be such an issue if not for the intense flooding all over campus.
Make your voice heard, rock some stylish rain boots, and avoid the worst puddles on campus and you should be fine this rainy season. You will thank me later.
