“Due to the inclement weather school will be closed today February 8.” These are words that every student and faculty member wants to hear. Sometimes you could even debate who is more excited for the unexpected day off. For college students the snow day experience is slightly different than it was when they were young, but then again it is exactly the same.
A typical household probably consists of excited children and stressed out parents being trapped indoors with their children all day. Parents are trying to find any excuse to get their kids to play outside in the snow. A similar downfall of being stuck on a college campus is exactly that, being stuck there. Students have to make the choice whether to stay or leave. Plus depending on which side of campus a student lives it can be a challenge to get to the dining hall for days. When there is so much snowfall and limited staff on campus, sidewalks become neglected forcing students to stay in their dorms.
For a STAC college student a snow day can be an adventure. The experience is different for commuters and residents. Commuter students don’t have to worry about digging out there car and trying to drive to college on icy roads. They can enjoy a day at home with family. Meanwhile, a snow day gives resident students an excuse to do absolutely nothing. There is just something about bad weather that causes people to be lazy. If the sidewalks are snow covered and icy why bother even leaving your dorm to go eat across campus? The best thing to do is simply relax and watch a movie, there’s nothing better to do anyway.
What’s fascinating is how much the campus environment changes. A normally crowded parking lot is disserted, the only vehicle driving past the windows, is usually a snowplow. There can be moments of complete and utter silence, which rarely occurs in a dorm. As the snow falls more and more the true inner-child comes out among the students. Classmates you normally see stressed over work, busy preparing for their future, suddenly enjoy their youth.
One look outside and students are everywhere. Snowballs are flying, igloos are being built and there is a new Spartan Snowman sitting in the middle of the snow covered parking lot. Now if only there was enough space in the dorms to have sleds. Sure, snow days might be a challenge once the shoveling starts but how many college students really hurry to do that anyway. Snow days give college students a day to have fun and do all the same things they did when they were young without a care in the world. No matter how old you are, it is still fun to make snowmen and igloos to hide behind to throw snowballs at fellow classmates.
