By CAITLIN SAXTON
STAFF WRITER
Reading Kafka as the sun set on a recent warm Wednesday evening, Hannah Curtis didn’t think life could get much better.
Students dotted the grassy hills of Buccleuch Park in New Brunswick, N.J., reading books, playing ultimate Frisbee and basking in the final rays of sun.
Then Thursday came, with a high of 40 degrees.
“The weather is seriously bipolar,” said Curtis, a sophomore at Rutgers and a native of Alaska.
“It just gets my hopes up ’cause I think it’s gonna be nice for the rest of school,” drawled Kallie Pence, Rutgers sophomore and Texas native. “It’s just disappointing.”
The two girls were hoping that the warm weather that New Brunswick has recently experienced was here to stay, but recent inconsistencies have shown that spring hasn’t fully come to New Jersey.
Many Rutgers students feel that the inconsistent weather is placing a burden on their day-to-day lives. There are ups and downs for them whether it’s cold or hot, and the only thing they want is steadiness.
When it is hot, students can do different things than they are able to do when it’s cold.
“I love being able to study in the park,” said Curtis. “At least then I can get a tan while doing something I have to do.”
But with the heat also brings out some of the problems with the setup of Rutgers University. “I was literally sweating in my classes in Scott Hall,” said Curtis.
Many students feel that some of the classrooms are ill equipped with air conditioning or even proper ventilation, according to Curtis. Still other students said that the weather made it hard to pay attention when it was too hot.
“When it’s hot, there’s no way I can focus,” said Pence.
The inconsistencies of the weather have also left students unsure of how to deal with their winter wardrobes.
April is usually a time to put away the heavy coats of winter, but with weather that can change drastically day-to-day, winter wardrobes have to stay close by.
During the first heat wave of spring at the beginning of April, Mackenzie Noda, a sophomore at Rutgers, made the mistake of putting all of her cool weather clothes away.
“I literally just put everything away!” Noda said.
Normally, once the weather heats up, she switches out her heavier coats to make room in her closet for her spring and summer clothes. But this routine backfired on her because of the inconsistent weather.
“It’s also making moving out of my apartment hard because I can’t start packing up anything,” she said. “Who knows if I’m still going to need my rainboots!” she added.
With Rutgers Fest on April 30 and other events approaching, students have been hoping for some warmer weather. The concert and festivities were nearly cancelled the year before because of heavy rains.
“It’s miserable when it rains that weekend,” said Curtis, recalling the previous year’s events. “All I want is the sun to stick around, and to have a decent tan when I go back to Alaska for summer.”
“Let it rain during finals,” said Noda. “I’ll be in the library anyway.” |
