For the past week, student drivers and pedestrians have avoided a massive costruction vehicle lumbering across campus.

Physical Plant administrators rented the front-loader as part of a plan to remove snow from campus parking lots.

“(The snow) becomes a hazard for students,” Physical Plant head Andy Csikos said.

“Highfield Avenue, for example, was choked to one lane,” he said, referring to the massive snow drifts that block nearby roads and parking areas.

The construction vehicle, rented for the coming month, can be used to pick up piles of snow and load them into trucks, which then dump the snow in empty campus areas.

According to Csikos, maintenance workers use this method often during harsh winters.

Plowing efforts following recent snowstorms pushed snow into parking spaces, making it difficult to reach cars or maneuver into spots.

“The biggest problem is trying to convince students to get with the program,” he said.

During the project - a joint effort by Campus Police, Housing administrators and the Physical Plant - students were asked to remove cars from parking areas so the front-loader could maneuver effectively.

Housing and Residence Life administrator Mark Dougherty said some students failed to remove their cars.

“We didn’t take any action against them,” he said.

According to Dougherty, some students contacted workers in his office asking for specific times to remove their vehicles.

“I’m sure there were some complaints,” Dougherty said.