Cold weather wave proves to Oberlin that Winter isn't over

Icy winds and snow flurries put a damper on outdoor activities

College sophomore Victoria Ford said she is not disturbed by the recent plague of cold weather.

"It's like home," Ford said, her home being Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Freezing temperatures and snow crept up on Oberlin students and the entire East coast early this week. Although the first day of Spring is only a week away, the cold weather lingered all week long. According to Weather Watch's meteorologist Kevin Roth, areas of the East are experiencing the coldest air of the season.

"I don't really enjoy pain when I walk out of my front door," junior Dave Schummers said of the cold weather. "It has kept me from a couple classes. It's probably ruining what I thought was an early Spring."

Junior Geoff Higgs said, "It's making me drive around to class more." Although he isn't enjoying the freezing temperatures, Higgs said, "I think it's only natural that it's this cold in the Winter."

Junior Dan Spalding thinks differently from many students who dislike the cold and snow this week. "It's not even that cold," Spalding said. "We've been spoiled for so long that I think we deserve it."

"I don't mind the Winter season," CDS cashier Diane Gatlin said. "It hasn't been a bad one, so I can't complain."

Although he permanently resides in Southern California, Visiting Professor of Astronomy Randy Phelps said he is not disturbed by a Winter in Ohio. "I missed the seasons, so I'm not bothered by the cold," Phelps said.

The cold weather has affected most Spring sport athletes. Senior Jeremiah Johnson, a member of the baseball team, said, "It kind of sucks for athletes right now because we have to practice in the Jones House and it's not a good thing when you play an outdoor sport."

"We've been holding practice inside Jones. We've managed to stay out of the cold," first-year baseball player Nathan Dore said. "Ideally, any team would like to practice outside in the sun, but Jones provides an adequate practice atmosphere."

Sam Krasnow, a senior and men's lacrosse player, said, "Teams that get sleeted on together, stick together. Pushing through intense climate realities brought us together like one big snowball." Krasnow added, "It motivates you because you can't stop moving, and if you do, you get all tight."

The women's rugby team was the only team that played Wednesday. "It felt like we were playing on broken glass because the field was frozen," women's rugby player senior Becca Barnes said of Thursday's practice.

The women's rugby played their usual three games this week outside. "It's lonely because we're the only ones practicing outside," Barnes said.

Despite the cold weather, a nurse at the Oberlin Clinic said that the cold has not affected the amount of students or town residents making a visit to the doctor due to an illness.

The weather does, however, affect off-campus students who pay utility bills. According to landlord Harold Gibson, students residing in his student house may have to pay an extra $75 a month on their utility bills in the cold season.

The temperatures will slowly rise by next week. Dore said, "I can't wait for the sun to come out and melt the snow away."

Not quite Spring: Plants met with an icy fate. (photo by James Cochran)