The daily operations of a university campus depend heavily on professionals whose work often goes unnoticed. These staffers from UNT Police Department and Facilities went above and beyond during the ice storm in January, and with storm season coming up this spring, they will be working hard again.

First Ones In

Sgt. T. Harris, who has been working with the UNT Police Department for 24 years, says the job hasn't always been easy, and winter storms are no exception.

"For us, there is no 'frozen in,'" Harris says. "With any storm, police are always going to be the first ones in and the last ones out."

During these events, police are often out looking for slippery intersections, stalled vehicles, fallen trees and other potential hazards. In the most recent storm, six cars were damaged by sheets of ice falling off a building. Burst pipes were a significant concern and required a campus-wide check. Officers also shoveled and de-iced walkways across the campus.

"We prepped as much as we could. We were getting people un-stuck, people that couldn't get out of parking lots, people that high-centered on the ice, ran over curbs, busted tires. It was busy. We looked for everything," Harris says, "down to slippery stairs."

Harris himself is a drone pilot, and he surveyed road conditions to help Risk Management Services and university leaders determine whether they were favorable enough to reopen the university.

Harris also noted that COVID-19 and the 2021 winter storm -- or, as Harris puts it, "Ice-mageddon" -- were significant learning experiences for the department that helped them prepare for the most recent storm. The 2021 winter storm especially taught them a great deal about going down to minimal staff while "still being able to operate and meet our missions and goals."

Both endeavors meant that by the time the 2026 winter storm arrived, the UNT Police Department was ready. Hotel rooms were booked for officers who live out of town, and the department made sure to only bring in essential personnel. The department had tire chains available for their all-wheel drive vehicles to help contend with inclement weather. They also maintained contact with UNT and the city of Denton facilities departments to assist with sanding or clearing intersections and walkways.

During the storm, emergency rooms received an influx of patients who had been involved with sledding accidents on roadways. Preventing these accidents became a priority, as Harris and other patrol officers tried to direct residents to safer places for sledding.

"We're really big on community policing," Harris says.

That means the department encourages officers to find a way to "say yes," to go beyond the job description, to be a presence and support the community. If necessary, they can call on counseling services, human resources or campus administration to support students and faculty in crisis, which Harris says is one of the advantages that differentiates them from a municipal department.

Sometimes, however, it's just about helping retrieve their phone from a drain system.

"I've got pictures of that actually," he says.

Harris finds that many people have never spoken with an officer before, and police are sometimes met with apprehension on campus. He hopes to resolve that perception and act as an example of how to provide a reaffirming sense of safety for the community.

"If I had anything I'd want people to realize," he says, "it would be that we're just people. We want to do a good job."

Making the Campus a Better Place

Sam Chambliss ('23), grounds supervisor at UNT, describes his job as "managing a chaotic environment of ever-changing parameters and just guiding people and helping them get to where they need to be."

Chambliss oversees the day-to-day operations of grounds maintenance for a large portion of the main campus, while his team deals with all the mowing, weeding, tree trimming, mulching and debris removal.

"There are a lot of moving parts to take care of on such a large campus," he says. "I provide training to our people to help get them the skills and knowledge to do their jobs better and safer, and I do my best to provide opportunities for professional growth when I am able. Supporting my team and their development is very important to me. We wear many hats and each week is a little different, which keeps everything interesting."

Chambliss began his journey at UNT in 2013 as a mechanical and energy engineering student, and in the same year he started as a student assistant in the grounds department. Due to other circumstances, he dropped out of college in 2015 but came back to work for the grounds department full time in 2016. He started taking classes again the next year and earned his degree in kinesiology in 2023.

Chambliss' responsibilities require flexibility, leadership and constant adaptation. Although the campus landscape may appear effortlessly maintained, he emphasizes that significant labor occurs behind the scenes and his team is vital in day-to-day operations.

"If you do your job the right way, they wonder if you even did anything," he says. "It takes people working really hard and going above and beyond."

Seasonal challenges, such as the recent winter storm, intensify the demands of his position. Chambliss and his team of about 13 to 15 staff members worked eight days in a row and almost 60 hours during the storm. They helped with snow and ice clearing, generator refueling and flood cleanup in buildings, and they worked to ensure safe passage to key campus locations, including Eagle Landing and the residence halls.

"It's always fun to see the students getting out and enjoying it for the first few days before everyone is over it," Chambliss says. "There's a lot of sledding and snowball fights, and they were just out there having a good time."

Chambliss, who provided labor as well as leadership throughout the week, notes that no two winter weather events are the same, which makes preparation difficult despite having a general plan in place. But he and his team contributed greatly in getting the campus over the rough patch.

He says the work they do extends beyond groundskeeping. It is about providing a welcoming space for students and supporting the university community as a whole.

"My goal moving forward is just focusing on the people and making sure we do what we can to support those who are  making the campus a better place."