There’s no denying that Lawrence University, with is northern location, can at times experience some harsh weather in the wintertime. This winter alone, we have experienced some record cold wind chill temperatures and snowstorms that have caused cancelled classes – a rarity! At Lawrence, instead of denying its existence, students learn how to best deal with the cold, and make the most out of snowy situations! Student safety is always of paramount concern in winter conditions, but there are a lot of fun and beautiful things to learn about the season.
Here at Lawrence, we are really fortunate to have an amazing campus facilities team who work really hard to make sure that sidewalks are shoveled and salted and dangerous icy spots are taken care of, many times before students even wake up to go to class! This makes the trek to class very convenient and easy. Furthermore, living on a small campus becomes a really positive asset, as it never takes more than seven minutes to walk anywhere on campus. Finally, if weather conditions are ever really unsafe, you can always communicate with campus safety to help you get where you need to be, or if needed, communicate with professors who are usually understanding of weather-related concerns.
Lawrence has a very unique way of celebrating the beauty of winter. At the beginning of every winter term, facility services creates an ice rink in front of Ormsby Hall, and here you can usually find students playing “Broom Ball”, a Lawrence tradition! Every year in February, Lawrence celebrates a Winter Carnival weekend, filled with fun activities such as ice carving, food stations, and winter tournaments. There is also a holiday parade that closes out fall term, and gets the community excited for the upcoming winter, and the students excited for winter break! If you ask most students, we will all agree that there is nothing more beautiful than a fresh snowfall on campus.
Jessica’s Hot Tips for a Cold Winter!
- Wear multiple loose layers – they keep you warm and insulated!
- Wear shoes with treads in order to grip the snow and ice. You can also buy attachments for the bottom of your shoes to help this.
- Stay hydrated! It gets very dry in the winter.
- When the sun is shining, make sure to get some vitamin D, whether by walking outside, doing homework by a window, or utilizing the sun lamps that are located in every building on campus.
- If possible, I recommend purchasing a long jacket that covers your butt. The longer and thicker the jacket, the warmer it keeps you!
- Don’t underestimate the power of a hat, a scarf, and gloves – a coat is simply not enough.
- Buy a thick, long scarf that can be used to wrap around your face to protect your skin from the wind.
- Be very cautious and give cars extra time to stop before crossing the street – icy conditions can make it very hard for cars to come to a controlled stop.
- If you ever find yourself needing help or with questions, ask someone who has been through a Lawrence winter before. Braving the winter can be scary, but it’s definitely something that unites the campus together.
