Melanie Sabol – Copy Editor
The days have grown shorter, it’s always cold outside, and leaving your room without a Southern hoodie along with your North Face on has become part of your daily wardrobe. Yes, that’s right. Winter is officially on its cold and snowy way.
We’ve already had our first snow scare last week when there was a snow flurry early in the morning. This is just a nice friendly reminder that we now have to get out those warmer coats just to go to class.
However, being here at Southern calls for a different type of winter preparation than there would be if we were at home. For me, it’s now been three winters here on campus, last year’s winter being the worst, I would like to think that I have the preparation down. Use these tips to help yourself and your roommates get ready for the cold and harsh winter that the weatherman says there is in store for us.
Stock up on food. For those of you who were here last year on campus during the big snow storm will remember that Conn Hall was closed for a little bit because they couldn’t open with the amount of snow we had. This year, don’t be caught hungry and stuck in your dorm room without anything to eat besides vending machine snacks. Head out and stock up on soups and microwaveable dinners to hold you over until you feel as though you can manage to walk in the snow. You won’t have to make it to Conn for three meals a day in the cold and wet snow if you have food in your warm dorm room.
Have a warm coat and boots. For commuters and students that live on campus alike there is a walk across campus that will be made by all. As if the walk from Lot 9 wasn’t bad enough, now throw in some snow and icy sidewalks on your way to class. Wearing a chunky winter coat along with heavy (though not the most fashionable) snow boots will keep you warm and dry on those long walks to class. I highly recommend investing in these two items if you haven’t already.
School work. Yes, I know this is not the most ideal thing to be doing during the winter but it’s the best time to get ahead. As finals are upon us and it’s too cold outside to be hiking West Rock or even to be outside for that matter. This is the perfect time to get ahead and get all your work done before finals. Getting ahead will leave you with more time to do whatever it is that you enjoy doing before we have to go home for winter break.
Get your car winter ready. Since Southern has tons of commuters that come up everyday it’s important to make sure that your car is winter ready. Now I’m not a commuter myself so I couldn’t imagine driving through the snow to get here. However, from those commuters that I do know, making sure that your car is winter ready is important to them. Some ways to do that is always making sure you have enough gas in your tank and that your tires are good enough to travel through the snow. If this winter is anything like it was last year, your car is going to need to be able to get through the snowy mess that once took over Farnham Avenue.
Most of all – enjoy what winter has to offer. I know it’s not the most loved season that there is to offer but this is New England and it’s expected. There’s no such thing as being over prepared. Stock up and enjoy this winter!
