By MICKEY HENNESSEY
STAFF WRITER
Yiwie Li stood on the corner of College Avenue and Richardson Street, displaying a contorted facial expression completed by flailing arms in every direction.
Her theatrical display was not the result of pantomime classes. Nor was she practicing sign language or impersonating a baseball coach’s esoteric gestures.
Rather, her dramatic hand gestures reflected an attempt to communicate effectively with her companion in the absence of her voice.
Li, like many others on campus, has allergies.
“I can barely speak in between my sneezes these days,” said the Rutgers freshman. “I get to my morning classes and am unable to make a sound because my throat is so dry. I’ve resorted to talking with my hands.”
A dry throat like Li’s is just one of the many unmistakable signs that spring has arrived in Rutgers New Brunswick. Along with the season has come a plague of allergies sweeping through a less than enthusiastic student body.
“Spring is definitely here,” said Li, “and it's leaving its mark on my tissue bill.”
Li is not the only one on campus afflicted by throat dryness, eye itching and nose twitching.
“My friend told me I sound like a dog,” joked Rutgers sophomore Kristin Kasubinski. “I’ve been unable to speak without sneezing, so every word I say ends up sounding like a bark.”
For some Rutgers students, spring allergies have begun to affect their study patterns. “I find myself in a constant dilemma," said senior Jonathan Roig. “When I’m studying inside I get hot and want to open up the window or go outside, but I can’t because then my allergies kick-in and throw my off concentration.”
Rutgers junior Kayla Booth has found herself in a precarious position lately as not only her study patterns, but her very study materials have become victims of the seasonal change.
“The pages of my class novels have literally become soaked with tears because I can’t stop rubbing my eyes these days,” said the English major.
The 2010 allergy season has been particularly troublesome for students who are already affected by respiratory diseases such as asthma.
“My coughing fits are at their worst this time of the year,” said Roig. “Its times like this that I feel students suffering from asthma deserve handicap parking permits on campus.”
The university declined to comment on whether any plan was in the works to offer such a service.
Students with these special conditions have also been given a new least favorite color: green, which has begun to be associated with what they see as a physically difficult period.
Not all Rutgers University students were found to be so bleak this time of the year, with some particular allergy-free students being as happy as the sun has been bright.
“This is my first spring season on campus and I think it’s awesome,” said freshman Todd Weiner. “Parties all the time, shorts and T-shirts, and tons of people playing sports… I wish college was like this all of the time.”
Another benefit students seem to be capitalizing on is the beautiful views provided by nature as it undergoes its annual spring metamorphosis.
“I was on Cook campus the other day and the combined panorama of the Raritan River, the trees and the flower fields was simply marvelous,” said Mason Gross drawing major Austin Lee. |
