A student’s car in lot 3 after the storm on Feb. 24, 2026.
Extreme weather is hitting campus once again, coming out to well over 4 feet of snowfall, coupled with extreme wind gusts. The storm started late Sunday evening, Feb. 22, and went into Monday night. Students were advised to stay inside from 8 p.m. on Sunday to noon on Monday, mirroring the travel ban that went into effect in much of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Many students heeded this warning, which was apparent at the Easton Target on Sunday afternoon. If you were there, then you probably noticed the plethora of Wheaton students stocking up on meals, drinks, and snacks to tide them over throughout the storm. This blizzard is being discussed as the new Blizzard of ’78. Anyone with parents or grandparents from New England has definitely heard of this storm. The blizzard brought unprecedented amounts of snow to the Boston area, and given the lack of instant communication, it caught many people off guard, resulting in an emergency state. This recent storm surpassed those old snowfall totals, yet still left many unprepared and stranded in their vehicles despite modern communication technology.
It seems that maybe Wheaton was also unprepared for the snowfall once again. In the last issue, we mentioned the uproar over parking and plowing, but it caused chaos once again. Students were notified on Saturday, Feb. 21, to move their cars to lots 1A, 3, 4, or 10 in anticipation of the snow. Come Tuesday morning, in an attempt to be proactive, many started digging out their cars to move them to other lots. As predicted, Director of Campus Safety Chief Roy Mulcahy sent out communication that afternoon, advising students to move their vehicles out of the previously listed lots to allow for further snow removal. Last storm, there were many cars that remained unmoved and many lots that remained unplowed for extended periods of time, making it difficult for students and faculty to find parking. With a similar course of action, it seems hard to believe that these issues will not be faced once again.
The snow also brought with it four days of remote learning and/or canceled classes, proving the perfect time to catch up on any 2026 Winter Olympics that may have been missed. Before coming to a close on Feb. 22, both the US women’s and men’s hockey teams secured a gold medal finish. For the men, this was their first gold medal in 46 years, with the last coming in 1980 with the infamous “Miracle on Ice” victory in Lake Placid, New York. The triumph did not last long before backlash was being faced by the US men’s hockey team following a phone call with Donald Trump and an invite to the State of the Union address on Thursday, Feb. 24. Trump’s remarks included a joke about needing to invite the women’s team (who declined the eventual offer) or risk being impeached. Other teams also brought home gold, with popular comeback skater Alysa Liu earning top honors in the women’s single skating event.
Down in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, a shooter opened fire in a targeted attack during a local hockey game, killing two and injuring three before dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The shooting comes only two months after the Brown University attack. With two cases of gun violence happening in such close proximity to Wheaton’s campus, it is understandable that these events would shake the campus population. One can only assume that the additional safety measures in effect this semester, such as card reader access after hours to high-traffic buildings on campus, are in part a response to tragedies like these. Despite this, the campus is still open to the public during normal operating hours. For example, there were local Girl Scouts selling cookies just last week in Balfour-Hood Center. It was the perfect pick-me-up for students amidst the cold weather and a tough semester.
A prevalent issue students have encountered this semester is the sheer number of scam emails flooding their inboxes. From false alarms about email accounts being deleted to scam employment opportunities, the community needs to be careful about which messages they trust and which links they click on. Wheaton’s IT department has sent out alerts reminding students of popular scams and confirming that they would never ask for password information via email, a common thread in many scam emails. See our full article on these recent phishing attacks for more details.
In terms of athletics at Wheaton, the aquatics program is doing exceptionally well. The school’s Artistic Swimming team placed third at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) Championships, their highest-ever MPSF result. They beat out Texas Women’s University by 10 points to secure their podium finish. Wheaton Swimming and Diving had a slew of bronze, silver, and gold finishes at NEWMAC Championships, breaking various school records in the process. Specific information regarding these finishes can be found on the Wheaton Lyons website.
Amidst the celebration happening in athletics, many people are mourning the death of actor Eric Dane. Dane is best known for his roles in Euphoria and Grey’s Anatomy, two programs popular among college students. He died at 53 of ALS, a diagnosis he only shared with the world about 10 months ago.