By Christian Gravius
Staff Writer
No matter what it is you do with your life, the weather will heavily dictate your plans, and being a college student is no exception to this fact. Here at Bona’s, the weather dictates a little bit more than just what you’re going to wear for the day or if you’ll pack an umbrella or not.
One thing I’ve noticed about the rain in particular is that Bona students hate umbrellas. Personally, I like to stay dry on my way to class, like I would assume any normal person would. For whatever reason, I’ve found that Bona students would rather throw a hood on their head and make their way through monsoon-like conditions than be seen carrying an umbrella.
While the average Bona student doesn’t mind getting their bodies a little wet, we don’t like wet feet at all. I’ve come to the conclusion that this is why a large percentage of the St. Bonaventure student population owns a pair of the classic L.L. Bean boots or something of similar nature. They’re great for cooler temperatures and stomping around in mud puddles.
Once the temperature drops and the rain turns to snow, Bona students enter the most dangerous time of year here at school. During this time of year, you have to think carefully about your every step to assure you don’t wipe out on the ice rinks we have for sidewalks. I’ve found Bona’s to have a certain “eh, you’ll be good” attitude towards snow. With the exception of a few unlucky souls slipping on ice and falling into a mound of brown, slushy snow, we do end up being just fine.
Just a few months ago, winter storm Stella made her way to our neck of the woods. I can remember how upsetting it was to find out we still had school when basically every other institution around us was closed, but hey, we survived, right?
Then the sun comes out, the snow melts, the temperature rises and everyone’s will to continue the school year is restored. They say the sun is good for you, but, besides vitamin D, the sun also brings drunken students jumping through burning tables. Now, I know not every student here participates in those types of activities. We also have the groups that spend hours a day sleeping and doing homework on blankets in the grass around campus. As far as I know, we all have decently comfortable beds and desks in our rooms, but it’s something about our bright friend in the sky that makes us want to trade comfort for a beach towel on the lumpy, sometimes damp, ground.
Bonaventure sits in a weird location. Being that we’re in a valley in Western New York, we can wake up in the morning to fog thicker than pea soup, eat lunch in the sun, walk to dinner in a torrential downpour, and go to bed watching snowflakes accumulate on our windows. In one day alone we can wear that old spring weekend shirt we turned into a cutoff and later have to exchange it for our winter coat.
We’ve all heard it before, “It’s the students that make this campus so special,” and I say it’s the weather that makes the students so special.
