Yesterday, I witnessed the saddest sight ever, which may be slightly exaggerated. Perhaps it was a quasi-sad sight or a middling sad sight. And I wasn't even watching Simba get blamed for Mufasa's death.

While driving past Easterly Parkway Elementary around 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, a group of normally plucky youngsters just getting out of school for the day were toiling down a snow-laden hill. The sidewalk was in plain sight of these downtrodden youths, yet they could not reach it because of the dunes of sundry ice, snow and slush that had piled up over the course of the week. The smaller ones looked completely submerged in the stuff. I could barely make out the tops of their knit caps against the desolate background.

Others fell, signaling to the their comrades to go on without them. Perhaps they figured that sometime in June, when all the snow had melted, they would finally emerge from their snowy tombs. The few who made it to the sidewalk were triumphant but weary.

Will I be forced to witness this tragic affair each weekday afternoon on my drive home? Can we, as fellow students and residents of State College, stand by this flagrant oversight made by our representatives in the municipal building on Allen Street?

What oversight you say? Why, the grass, of course!

Local meteorology experts estimate that between 14 and 17 inches of snow cover the greeny expanses of State College. What has Penn State and the borough of State College done to remedy this? Sure, the roads are clear, making way for wheeled passage. And indeed, the sidewalks I've encountered on campus and in town have been cleared adequately enough, save some icy patches -- making it safe for pedestrian traffic.

But the unpaved, undeveloped hills and fields of the area remain buried in snow, unshoveled, unplowed. And the citizens suffer for it. It is imperative that the two main snow-removing entities in the region -- State College borough and Penn State -- begin what I have dubbed Operation Over Plow.

Much more than the welfare of the school-aged children is at stake.

The last two weeks have been equally as treacherous for area canines. While the Great Danes of the region are able to bound through drifts in order to relieve themselves, we've forgotten about the their smaller brothers and sisters. What is a dachshund or a bichon to do when confronted with a wall of ice? Will they be forced to just go on the sidewalk for the duration of the winter?

The availability of grassy stretches is critical on campus, as well. Traditionally, when running a few minutes behind, students forego pavement and simply cut across grass medians. Not so now. All shortcuts have been invaded by -- you guessed it --18 feet of snow. Attempts at wading through old shortcuts only leave flood lines on pants and numb legs. And what about mental health? Citizens in State College should be fairly used to the absence of sun by now. They've learned to remedy Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) by moving to sunnier places like Florida. They should not be forced to move because of the absence of anything green. Sure, at this time of year, the grass may be a sickly shade of olive, but it serves as a promise of the spring to come. Yet, now we don't even have the grass to remedy our despondency -- just creepy Orwellian whiteness.

There is a reason people in Siberia consume a lot of vodka. And that reason is snow.

Perhaps the reasoning behind not clearing snow is that it will melt soon enough. Has anyone considered what will happen when the temperature rises above 32 degrees with 14 to 17 inches of snow on the ground? That's right: floods to rival Noah's. Ark building will be starting at my place Tuesday, as soon as I round up the dachshunds and bichons.

After the novelty of sledding has worn off, and the pristine snow has turned shades of brown, black and tell-tale yellow, it is time to remove the unsightly stuff -- and for more than aesthetic reasons. Snow represents a direct threat to residents' physical and emotional well being. Surely, the university and the borough could contribute the pennies extra it would take to completely remove all the snow from State College.

Think of the children stuck on that hillside and their worried parents who haven't seen them in days. Think of the puppies. But mostly, think about April and what life will be like under the sea.

Now grab a snowblower and a shovel. Operation Over Plow has begun.