Rain is pouring. Students are scrambling. Leaf blowers are blowing. Which doesn’t belong?

It’s not unusual to see Linfield staff with leaf blowers in hand when it’s raining. “The use of leaf blowers is a cost-effective way to quickly remove the leaves and other debris, and also reduce the risk of employee ergonomic injuries from repetitive motion,” said Allison Horn, director of Facilities Services.

Leaf blowers are a necessary—if noisy—part of keeping Linfield campus safe and clean. “Our grounds crew strives to begin their work around residential halls/apartments and academic quad areas after 9 a.m. and try their best to be sensitive to classroom schedules … sometimes it is necessary to respond quickly to immediate landscaping dangers,” Horn said in an email.

Certainly the crew is doing their best to not be a nuisance, but what does all this leaf blowing accomplish? “During the Fall/Winter season, Linfield recycles over 120 cubic yards of leaves per week,” according to Horn.

“The leaves and debris can pose a slip hazard and are removed quickly to prevent someone from falling.”

It seems that there’s good reasoning behind why they use leaf blowers so extensively. The staff is responsible for maintaining the grounds and keeping them presentable for students to enjoy.

“Landscaping creates a sense of life, beauty and a sense of pride. While the campus is primarily maintained for the safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors, the beauty of our campus is enjoyed by the entire community,” Horn said.

Well-kept grounds add value to campus life, and according to a majority of students, the campus was a top reason why they chose to come to Linfield.

However, are there other things that need more attention than the few leaves that fall in our path while walking to class?

Rather than moving leaves and flower petals from the sidewalks, it seems like puddles are the only things being pushed around.

Ellen Jung, ’18, thinks that leaves aren’t much of a problem and that, “The bigger issue is the giant puddles that form in the sidewalks because [they] are completely deformed.”

“Leaves, debris and standing water can pose a slip hazard and are removed quickly to prevent injuries,” said. Horn.

While our grounds crew is aware of the “Linfield Lake” issue, it doesn’t seem like leaf blowers are the best solution to the problem.

Rather than devoting time to blowing puddles out of the way, perhaps looking at ways of fixing the problem would better solve the recurrent issue.